Frustrated...

As I mentioned before, I am working on starting a local Little Flowers Girls Club. Our 1st meeting is tonight, and I am frustrated!

I had a difficult time finding out exactly how many girls we would be having this year, and our local bookstore (which is allowing us to use their meeting room) didn't want to place more than one order for books, so I am short materials for tonight.

Thankfully I do have about half of member's guides, the leaders guide, craft companion, etc which I had ordered last year, in addition to the supplies for the craft I planned for tonight, but what I don't have is a Member's Guide for each girl with the coloring page for tonight, as well as the list of assignments for the coming month. We will be ordering a book for each of the girls, so I thought it wouldn't be that big of a deal to copy the assignment/coloring page this one time. I assumed wrong.

I called the company just to make sure and she said no. They don't allow ANY exceptions. Even if you have already purchased a book for each girl, you still can't copy out of it. (We will be making notebooks this year, and I hoped to add the saint coloring pages. If we want to do this we will need to take apart the books, or trace the pictures.)

I understand the need to protect copyrights, and sell the books, but I also think that if each child has or will have their own purchased copy, that this should have been okay, and that you should be able to use the images for crafts etc. Oh well... On to plan B.

Well, I had better go, I now have to spend the afternoon typing or writing out the assignments for the month and coming up with a coloring page for St. Catherine of Siena, so half of the girls (who are mostly too young to trace themselves) will have something to do.

Things like this make me REALLY appreciate the publishers of coloring books like Fenestrae Fidei, who allow the original purchaser to make copies for family and classroom use, and talented women like Charlotte, who share their talents with all of us. I believe that God will reward them greatly for their generosity! I am just bummed that neither of them have an image of St. Catherine of Siena!! ;-)

I'll be back later tonight or tomorrow morning, and I promise I will be more positive then! :-)

Update: Thanks to a very sweet friend, the girls have a beautiful page to color tonight! (As well as a couple additional options that were just emailed from another friend.) You all are truly amazing! THANK YOU!!!!!! ♥

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

This weeks Little Saints theme is "My Five Senses"... This afternoon the girls worked on learning the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". It was quite fun, and I thought I would take a second and share a few of the video clips. :-) (Just ignore my goofy laugh!)








Rascal wanted to show the girls how it is done:

A New Bouncy Chair

Remember this home video of Snuggles?

I sat Snuggles on the recliner for a second so I could vacuum, and then had to grab my camera! He is so funny!

The Fire

Photo Credit: InciWeb

A Good Day

It's amazing how much more school work we can get done when I set up a table away from the computer on the front porch!

Even Snuggles had a blast crawling around on the deck...

Carrying Our Cross Daily

I just listened to a wonderful (12 minute) sermon on "Carrying our cross daily" which was just given on Sunday, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

"There are things that God gives us to, in a way, bring more sanctification into our day to day life...

...Sometimes God wants to give us larger crosses...

...So these crosses, apart from our day to day crosses, God gives us extra large ones if he sees we are able to carry them...

...but He never gives us a cross that we are not able to carry. And so we know the way to holiness is by making sure we carry our crosses in the best way possible..."

It was very inspiring, and something I very much needed to be reminded of this morning. If you'd like, you can listen to the whole sermon here.

The Stressed Out Momma's Daybook ~ September 15th

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window... there is lots of smoke. A constant reminder that hubby won't be home for awhile.

I am thinking... that we will postpone beginning the Alphabet Path till next week.

From the learning room... just the basics. That's it.

I am thankful... for the kind emails and prayers from you all; the much needed overtime that my hubby is receiving; that my 8 fingers are only sprained and not broken; for a chiropractor who was able to squeeze me in and realign my "very out of joint" jaw (to quote my doctor); for drive thru restaurants; for ice (my chiropractor teasingly suggested an ice bath!); that Snuggles goose egg has reduced in size and the bruise isn't that bad; and for the fact that my 8 year old son knows how to wash dishes.

From the kitchen... taco bell wrappers from lunch, and no plans for dinner. I sure wish the pizza man would deliver up here...

I am creating... lower expectations for myself... At least for this week, and maybe next.

I am going... crazy.

I am wearing... an ice pack.

I am reading... nothing at the moment, but I am really looking forward to reading all the links shared in the From Thy Bounty Fair on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross! I really need to read something uplifting and positive!

I am hoping... that my car battery is not dead again the next time I try and start it... (OH! That reminds me... I am also thankful for spare car keys, that the tutor was still here when I tried starting my van this morning, and that I had a set of jumper cables available!)

I am hearing... lots of static on my phone line... The repair man will be back out again tomorrow morning.

Around the house... I really don't want to think about it.

One of my favorite things... SLEEP!!!!!!!!!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...

• Tutor will be coming Mon, Tue & Wed Mornings
  
• Dentist appointments for our 3 oldest on Thursday. (rescheduled from last week)
  
• My very first Little Flowers meeting on Thursday, which reminds me, I still need to plan the craft, and confirm a babysitter.
  
• Try and make a trip back up to the Fire Camp to visit hubby and bring him a home-cooked meal.
• Try and clean the corroded things on the vans battery with the stuff the auto parts guy sold me.
  
• SURVIVE the week!
  

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:

Bring on the chocolate!

Seriously though, I am really okay and just keepin-it-real...
Thank you for letting me vent! :o)

Smoky Mountain Picnic

It was so nice to be able to see hubby today. He has been working the 3pm to 7am shift, and was able to meet us for Mass this morning after he got off. I had packed along our feast and so after Mass we headed up to the lake near fire camp for a picnic lunch.

We found a nice shady spot under a few trees not too far from the lake. Despite the smoke, it was still beautiful.

Rascal got right to work coloring in the brand new coloring book he received from the tooth fairy last night. Can you believe it? She actually remembered on the FIRST night for ONCE!!

Awww! There is my toothless boy, with a bouquet of flowers for his momma!

Lunch was delicious!!!

Although, it is a little bit harder to eat without those two front teeth...

Hubby isn't the only one that hasn't been sleeping! Yikes!

After lunch it was time for a little running and exploring...

The time flew, and we had to let daddy go back to camp so he could try and get a couple more hours of sleep before he was back on the clock at 3pm. We miss him already!!!

Ouch!

For some reason, I keep hurting myself today!!

This morning, as we were headed out the driveway for Mass followed by a picnic lunch with hubby, I realized that I forgot the cookies on the coffee table. I turned the car around and ran back into the house knocking my shin on the corner of the table. When I got back into the car Captain asked what was wrong.

I replied: I hurt my leg on the coffee table.

Captain asked: Which leg? Your right or your left?

I replied: It was my left leg.

Captain said: Oh, that's good. At least you can still drive!

Yep... I could still drive. My leg wouldn't stop us from making it to Mass and to see their daddy. (Glad to know he knows his left and right so well, and which foot is used to drive!)

Oh, and that wasn't my only bruise of the day. Just after we got home, I was trying to dump the old water out of our kiddie pool so I could refill it, and somehow bruised (I think?) 8 of my fingers. They are so sore...

At least I can still use my thumbs type! ;)

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Saint Helena and the Most Holy Cross

Tomorrow is the feast of the Exaltation (or Triumph) of the Holy Cross. The church has celebrated this feast ever since September 14, 326, the day that Saint Helena, mother of Constantine, miraculously discovered the cross while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

In one of my favorite Catholic cookbooks, A Continual Feast, the author tells us that "This holy day is one of strict fasting among the Eastern Orthodox. In Greece, the priest distributes sprigs of sweet basil to his congregation, because tradition says that basil grew all over the hillside where Helena discovered the cross. "

The author, Evelyn Vitz, goes on to suggest a recipe for Pesto (a wonderful sauce for pasta made with fresh basil) since, "With this dish you can keep the spirit of the day as one of abstinence from meat and still serve something delicious and symbolic."

Although I don't have a garden, we do have a wonderful local Grower's Market. This morning I was able to pick up a couple bunches of fresh basil and some beautiful tomatoes, among other things. When I arrived home (my twin sisters babysat the kids!) my oldest son said, "Mom, you smell like pasta!" :) Don't you just love the smell of fresh basil? I do!

I had planned to spend the afternoon (after Mass) at home painting wooden crosses with my children and then having a nice Pesto dinner as a family, but plans changed. The good thing is, the fire that my hubby is on, is relatively close to home. Not only is it in the same state in which we live, it is in the same county, less than an hour away! So, the kids and I are headed that direction to meet up with my hubby for Mass in the morning (he will have just gotten off the night shift, poor guy!) and then we will head to a nearby park for a picnic lunch. Yeah!! We will get to see him and it will have only been two days since he was dispatched! (This NEVER happens!! Thank you all for your prayers!!!!)

In preparation, earlier this afternoon the girls and I baked some cross shaped cookies. They were very simple. (I am ALL about simplifying things right now, with my hubby gone!) We used a roll of pre-made sugar cookie dough, a Cross Shaped Cookie Cutter, and some milk chocolate wood colored frosting.

We will still have Pesto pasta, though I will be serving it cold instead of hot. I am also packing a couple Baguettes, a jar of Bruschetta sauce, and a Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad.

Before prayers and bedtime, in anticipation of the feast, I let the children stay up and watch The Legend of the Three Trees. I couldn't help taking a picture of all five of our little ones on the floor, enjoying the movie together.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross!

We adore You, O Christ, and praise You,
Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.