Weariness....

I'm so weary.  Last night I was up until 1:30.

I think I am still feeling the emotional weariness of the blow from Tuesday's election.

Obama's appointments thus far are only increasing my concerns for our country, even above and beyond the fate of the unborn for which this election was an unmitigated disaster.

The arguments that there are other "life issues" to consider, that the economy is more important than the sanctity of human life (like anyone could actually think that Obama will improve the economy-- look what the market has done since the election), that abortions will continue anyway, are just emotionally exhausting to read and hear.  But...

The battle belongs to the Lord.  Though he slay me, yet will I praise him!!!!

I am praying for the conversion and protection of President-elect Obama and his family.  May the Holy spirit speak to him and may he respond.  And may St. Michael protect him.

Catholic Scripture Study

I'm still numb over the election.

But I had an encouraging experience today. I went to my weekly women's Bible Study . It is part of an international organization called Catholic Scripture Study. Women from all around come to this study. There are a number of Catholic parishes represented and many of them I know nothing about. Since, shamefully, the majority of Catholics voted for Obama I expected there would be a variety of opinions about the election.

There were not. It appeared the EVERYONE was devastated by the election. They all talked openly about it as though it went without saying that we would all have voted pro-life. It was so refreshing. No rationalizations about there being lots of issues to consider. (THERE IS NO ISSUE THAT TRUMPS THE TAKING OF HUMAN LIFE. IT IS UNEQUIVOCALLY AND GRAVELY IMMORAL. THE PRO-LIFE ISSUE IS THE FOUNDATIONAL ISSUE.) In this group of women this fundamental issue was understood to be a given.

I felt the unity of faithful Catholics. It was quite consoling. I think we helped to fill each other with hope. Ironically, (providentially) the speaker for today had previously been scheduled to speak about hope. It was so appropriate and so clearly God's plan for us to hear that talk today.

Our God reigns!!!!!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Accountability Numbers:

This Week:  Up 1/2 pound

Overall:  Down 8 and a half pounds

Why did I gain a half pound this week?  Cheezits and Halloween candy.  That's it.

But to tell you the truth, I can scarcely think of anything but the abandonment of the unborn in yesterday's election by everyone who voted for Obama.  That so many voted for him who still claim to be pro-life is astonishing to me.

We have no idea who Obama is besides a far left liberal with no respect for human life.  May God speak to his heart and may he experience conversion.

VOTE!!!

Vote!!!!

Vote!!!!!!

Vote!!!!!!!!!!

This is the only poll that counts!!!!!

Obama-Do you REALLY want this man to be president?

Change you can believe in...

Have you Obama supporters thought about what on Earth that means?

Change, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad.  Obviously, it depends on what the change is.

Do you know what Obama really stands for?

Does it bother you that his campaign slogan is meaningless?

It bothers me.  Nearly everything he says on the campaign trail is vague and just feel-good empty rhetoric.

Have you wondered why early in his political life he held a campaign event in the living room of unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers?  Would you do anything with a man who had bombed the Pentagon and does not regret it?  Do you want a President who was willing to do that?

Do you want a President that thinks it's all right to leave in the trash a baby who has survived an abortion?  Do you?

You Catholics, if you believe that an unborn baby is a human being, have you considered that if vote for Obama you might bear some responsibility for the unborn lives who will be lost?  My pastor believes you may.

Obama is a far left radical candidate with a profound disrespect for human life.  

Who do you really want for President?  If you don't want to vote for McCain, at least stay home!!!

How can Catholics vote for Obama?

I haven't been blogging much at all this week.  I've been rather frantically helping a child finish her quarter's schoolwork, preparing for out of town guests this weekend, preparing for Halloween, and obsessing about the election.  Hardly read anybody's blog.  I'm sorry.  One of those weeks.

OK.  Here's what's on my mind.  The pro-life vote and Obama.  I have lots of reasons to not vote for Obama,  but the most important reason is literally millions of human beings whose lives will be in grave danger if Obama is elected.

Obama has promised to introduce the Freedom of Choice Act to Congress if he is elected.  If this act were to pass, as it might if there is a democratic majority, it would not matter if Roe v. Wade were overturned.  All state laws making abortion illegal would be overturned because federal law takes precedence over state and local laws.

Obama, as we know, (see ad on my sidebar) has also voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.  In other words, he does not think babies who survive an abortion should be entitled by law to care.  His excuse that these babies were covered under existing law is ridiculous.  It was because these babies were not being given care that the act was introduced. But even if it were true that the act was redundant why not vote for it anyway?  Why be one of (I believe) only two legislators to vote against it?  I can think of no other reason than to demonstrate to the pro-abortion lobby that he will not vote for ANY rights for the unborn.

So.... you Obama supporters, how can you vote for a man who so profoundly disrespects human life?  Do you think that unborn humans are not entitled to full protection under the law?  Do you think that this is one of many issues to consider?  I believe that this issue is no less grave than if he were supporting the "right" of a woman to kill her baby up to, say, six months of age. Both are infanticide.  If you think Obama's abortion position is not as serious as it would be if he were advocating infanticide of already-born babies, then you are not really pro-life.  A baby at six month gestation  (or at any time during a pregnancy) is just as human and deserving of protection as a six month old baby.  If you are Catholic and you are arguing this way, your position is not in keeping with Catholic teaching. NOR IS IT RATIONAL OR IN ANY WAY CONSISTENT WITH AN ELEMENTARY KNOWLEDGE OF BIOLOGY.

I'm sorry if I am offending readers who I know are decent people but who are holding this position which I frankly think is indefensible.  If I'm missing something let me know!!!

Weight Loss Wednesday

 Accountability Numbers:

This week:  Down 1/2 pound

Overall:  Down 9 pounds

I may go back to Weight Watchers to get these last pounds off.  October is a big family birthday month for us.  It's been pretty hard.  I have found myself slipping back into the 'how much can I eat and get away with' attitude instead of the healthier "how much do I need to eat' attitude.

And soon there will be Halloween candy in the house.  Oh no!!!

Lots of opportunities to exercise self control and lots of sacrifices to offer to the Lord.

Our Extraordinary Nurse

Some time ago I think I wrote about how my daughter has won the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing.

Yesterday she was presented with the award by the chief nursing officer of the hospital.

Was I a proud mama or what!!!!  It was hard not to cry through the whole thing.  (But I had plenty of Kleenex.)

They said the nicest things (all true, of course) about my sweet daughter Anne.

I resisted mentioning that Anne had fainted the first time her own blood was drawn.  LOL  You never know what path the Lord will lead you down.  At the time of that first blood draw I never dreamed that little more than a decade later she would be receiving an award for extraordinary nursing.  

Now I am not at all surprised.  She worked really hard in school and worked at the hospital the whole time as a tech.  She's done it all.  And her gentle, tender heart serves her well as she really cares about her patients.

We couldn't be more proud of her.

The birthday celebrations

Because my husband is working afternoons at the moment, everyone was not home at the same time for a family birthday party for both John and Mike.

Sooo... John had a party on the actual day as depicted below, and Mike had a party on Saturday with his favorite Dutch apple pie instead of cake.

I may post the recipe for this pie.  (Maybe I already have sometime in the past?  It's my favorite pie in the world!!!)

Anyway, since I was too busy having parties for these guys to write them a birthday tribute I will do it today:

5 things I really appreciate about my husband:

1.  He has blessed me with 6 beautiful children.

2.  He has supported me in my role as a stay-at-home mom and has never suggested in any way that I should work outside the home.

3.  He has an amazing engineering ability-  a way of just knowing how things work.

4.  He is very patient.

5.  He rarely says anything negative about anyone.

5 things I really appreciate about my son John:

1.  He has a gentle, sensitive soul.

2.  He has an awesome smile. (see picture below).

3.  He has an amazing musical ability and he shares it with others (music ministry at church, accompanying, playing just for others' enjoyment.)

4.  He has an incredibly inquiring mind.

5.  He plays the piano like a man. (strength, energy, passion)

Just to name a few.....

May the Lord bless these two special guys today and all the days of their lives!!

The Birthday Boys

Happy Birthday to the boys!!  My son John was born on his dad's 36th birthday.  The best birthday present he's ever gotten!!!

I will write more about these guys later.

(I have to go shop for their presents now.)

First Frost!!!

It seems the dark dreary mornings of Michigan winters are starting.

There was frost on the ground, on the car, on the roof, everywhere yesterday morning.

The one bright spot was sweet Liz running out early, finding the scraper in the garage, and having all the windows cleared by the time I came out.

This is really nothing.  Wait till we're clearing six inches of snow and ice off the windshield.  It's OK.  It builds character.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Accountability Numbers:

This Week:  Down 1 pound

Overall:  Down 8.5 pounds

Well, I didn't make up for last week's gain but at least I didn't gain any more.  At the retreat this weekend there were lots of dangerous snacks available-- like nuts, and chocolate, and CANDY CORN, not to mention brownies and cookies, chips, etc.

One night I lost control and ate a fair amount of candy corn and nuts.  But I guess I kept things pretty even for the rest of the week because I did lose.

Thanks for indulging me in this accountability.

(WE HAD OUR FIRST FROST THIS MORNING!!!  PICTURES TOMORROW.)

Geneology-- my family history

I've always been fascinated with the idea of tracing my family roots, but I've never had the time to really work on it.

Imagine my delight, then, when I discovered a wealth of geneological information in a book right in my father's house.

The book was published in 1901 and is entitled Jay County Indiana.  It's a beautiful well worn, leather bound book.  I looked at it and thought why on Earth does my father have a book on Jay County Indiana.  He was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana so I thought, well, maybe he just happened upon it as an interesting antique.

I opened the book and in the inside cover I found pasted a newspaper obituary for Enoch B. Hartley.  I knew Hartley was a family name on my grandmother's side.  I quickly checked a family tree in a Bible I had taken from my dad's house and discovered that I was looking at the obituary of my great great grandfather.  It was FULL of information about who he was, where he lived, the kind of person he was.  I was nearly in tears.  It was like I was MEETING him.

THEN, I realized that the names of his parents were also listed and that the entire book was of biographical sketches of prominent people who had lived in Jay County!  My great-great-great grandparents were listed as well as my great-great-great-great grandparents!!!  And not just their names!!!  There are fascinating details of their lives and even some direct quotations!

I will be writing more about these people from whom I am descended.  Probably bore you all to tears.

Among the most exciting facts I learned was that my great-great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Shanks fought in the, Revolutionary War.  How cool is that??  He had come to America in 1765.  Here is a quote:  "Joseph Shanks was not in harmony with the British monarchy, which dislike he was too Irish to conceal, consequently the British stayed and Joseph Shanks left for America."

Now to those of you who are Irish I must ask. Did you smile just a little when reading those words "which dislike he was too Irish to conceal?"  I know I did.  But then, I'm his great-great-great-great granddaughter.  I never met or even heard a relative speak of Joseph Shanks, but I know just what those words meant.

Have a great day.

(I just reread this and realized it's not clear why I smiled.  I am NOT saying that I share my ancestor's dislike of the British.  Only that I understand, and share, an inability to conceal my emotions.  Don't want my friend Deb to think I hold any grudges against her nation:-)

Boys and Girls are Different!

This post is part of Family Moment Monday sponsored by Motherhood for Dummies.  

As I have raised my children it has become very evident that boys and girls are very different by nature, regardless of how they are being raised and what they are being taught.

Girls are so emotive, so expressive-- even girls who are naturally quiet or shy still seem to have a complexity of feelings and a desire to express those feelings that I just don't see in boys.

For example:

My daughter Mary, when grocery shopping with me when she was about three, stopped in front of a large display of Classico spaghetti sauce and threw her arms up in the air with great enthusiasm.  She exclaimed, "Oh, I love this stuff!!!"

I was so surprised because I didn't even think she liked tomato sauce.  I said, "You do?"  

Her reply?  "Not really.  I just felt like saying that.."

I laughed so hard.  She was practicing expressing herself!  Practicing being a woman-- forming an opinion.

Another incident occurred in the bathtub.  I had two very young girls and two very young boys at the time.  The girls took a bath together and so did the boys.

We had lots of rubber duckies.  A mom and dad duck, then some medium sized ones for older siblings and little baby ones too.  The girls loved to play with them, naming them and acting out little family scenarios.

I checked on the boys to discover them lobbing the duckies into the air toward the other end of the tub.  I said "What are you guys doing with the duck family?"

They looked surprised.  "Duckies?  These aren't ducks.  They're bombs.  We're trying to hit the boat on the other end of the tub."

Nuf Said?  The hard wiring is just not the same.

Retreat Weekend!!!

Today I am leaving for my parish's women's retreat. It starts tonight and lasts until Sunday afternoon. Needless to say, I won't be posting this weekend. I will be praying for all who read this blog and for their intentions. May you and yours have a blessed weekend.

Last Night's Debate

I thought McCain did well last night. He is not as smooth or unruffled as Obama but he made some good points.

He is not George Bush.

He is against higher taxes for everyone and thinks it's irresponsible to raise anyone's taxes in this economy.

Ordinary hard working Americans like Joe the plumber will be hurt by Obama's tax plan.

McCain's plan for health care for all Americans leaves choice in the hands of American families and not the government.

He has the guts to freeze all government spending at current levels for the sake of the economy.

AND, most importantly, he is pro-life. I liked that he used the terms pro-life and pro-abortion and didn't hide behind euphemisms.

I was completely flabbergasted that Obama outright lied about his repeated position on the Infant Born Alive Protection Act. If there is some technicality that Obama is using to justify this deception I'd be happy to hear it. For more information on Obama's record on this legislation click on the ad in my sidebar. Obama has the most extreme, radical position on abortion. He has virtually no respect for unborn human life. And then to lie about it to the American people... I don't know what to say. HOW could we elect this man as President. (Not to mention his lies about Bill Ayers and ACORN)

Weight Loss Wednesday Woes

Accountability Numbers

This Week:  UP 2.5 pounds (YIKES)

Overall:  Down 7.5 pounds

OK.  What's my explanation?  Well, I was thinking maybe there was some water retention involved since I woke up last night thirsty and drank a big glass of water at about 4:00.

I know there's something paradoxical about water.  Weight Watchers always says if you want to not retain water you need to drink enough water.  Makes sense to me.  If your body doesn't have enough, it's going to hang on to what it has.

BUT, I would be less than transparent if I did not also acknowledge that the birthday cake pictured below could also provide some explanation.

Here is the Sanders Bumpy Cake.  I guess Sanders is a Michigan company.  These cakes are really good.  I love the frosting and the bumps of cream frosting are, in a word, YUMMY!!

Well, I thought I had done pretty well considering how much I love this cake and considering that I never have it in the house under normal circumstances because of the binge potential.  I had two pieces on my birthday... and two other pieces, one on each of two other days.  I actually thought that was pretty controlled, especially considering how much I wanted and how diligently I was resisting.  But, still, if it was all extra calories there was probably at least an extra pound's worth of calories there.  Maybe two?

Well, on to another week.  All is not lost (or gained as the case may be :-).  I will continue my efforts, starting with a nice big mug of green tea (unsweetened.

I love this cake.

Community Reinvestment Act

Has anyone looked into the Community Reinvestment Act? This piece of legislation, promoted by democrats, required banks to give loans to people who would not ordinarily be able to qualify. It was a huge contributing factor in our current financial mess.

Thought this cartoon summed it up well.

Big Government Strikes Again

Let's pray every day for this election.....

Family Moment Monday-- Shopping with the girls....

This post is part of Family Moment Monday, sponsored by Motherhood for Dummies.

Family Moment Monday is about sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects, or anything else that you can learn/share/do as a family.  Check out Motherhood's site for lots of other great ideas.

The Princesses!!

(as in Daughters of the Queen!!! -- and you know who that is :-)

This is not a super creative family activity.  In fact, you may be saying, "Rosemary, that's LAME," as my kids would say.

Anyone can go shopping!  It's true, but sometimes it can take an effort to get everyone to go at the same time!  My daughters and I love this so much we're thinking of planning to do it once a month.  After browsing for each of us we often stop in the middle of the mall and get a Starbucks or a pop and a pretzel.  I think it helps to build family solidarity, cements family bonds, and offers great opportunities for conversation.  With teens these opportunities don't always come easily.

I tried to get the timer to work on my camera for this picture so I could get in it too, but no luck.  We really did just do this this morning.  As usual, it was very fun and we wished we had more time.  (My daughters are now so used to my bringing my camera with me everywhere in order to get a photo for a post that they don't resist at all.  In fact, sometimes they suggest posts for me.)

Course, at other times, they say, "You're NOT going to put this on your blog, are you?"

Today they were OK with it, though.

OK.  I might as well tell you.  Today is my birthday.  I went to 9:00 Mass, then Confession.  And since then I've been just relaxing.

Took my daughter to Shar Instruments to trade in her 1/2 size cello for a 3/4 rental.  That was fun.  I love being in music stores.

Now, I'm blogging and kind of watching the Michigan game where my second and third son are.

Tonight my family will make me a birthday dinner.  (I've asked for fish but beyond that I'm not sure what they have planned.)

Oh.  And  a Sanders Bump Cake for my birthday cake.  Someone told me these cakes are unique to Michigan, Sanders being a Michigan company I believe.  Has anyone not in Michigan heard of Sanders and their very delicious Bump Cakes?

Hope you're enjoying what is in Michigan a very beautiful weekend.