Fearless Friday: Cancer Prayers

It is Friday, and you know what that means! It is a day where I join Angie and everyone else in Prayer.

This week I would like to pray for cancer victims and their families. Cancer is a devastating illness. Emotionally, spiritually, physically devastating, and it can be devastating to relationships.

As always I remember Sweet Mary.

This week I add the memory of my mother, who was physically devastated by cancer 5 years ago. Today would have been her 66th birthday if she survived. Her name was Kathleen.

I also add my dear friend, Debbie. This week she was diagnosed with esophageal and stomach cancer. She has a 36 cm tumor in her stomach. Please pray for her. She is a mommy, and a caregiver for her elderly father. She is only 51 years young.

Click on the pic for a link to the prayer and the source of the pic.


O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty," "The Wonder-Worker," because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. (Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying) Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

This post is linked to Fearless Friday.

Rednesday: Halloween Edition

We went to a Halloween show last Saturday night, to benefit the Cerebral Palsy Center. What fun it was!! We knew two of the performers. The show was primarily a chorus singing oldies tunes, changed up a bit for the theme. The kids laughed through the whole show. We were given the tickets as a gift, and it was a fun time. Even the oldest made it to the show! This guy was guarding the door. No one was getting in without a ticket!! :)

Happy Halloween!

Fearless Friday: A parent's heart

As a parent, I have found the most difficult times in my life have been when my children are sick. Thankfully, for most of us, even serious illnesses in our children end up just a memory down the road. But when you are going through something really difficult, at that time it is the most frightening thing in the world, seeing your baby (no matter how old) helpless. Today I would like to pray for all those mommies and daddies who are struggling with their own fears while trying to keep a brave face up for their children. And of course, I would like to pray for the children who struggle with the illnesses which have their parents tied up in knots.

In particular, today:

1. Anna, 14 months old, who has an annular pancreas, and had corrective surgery on the 20th. She is still in the hospital. Go see her parents' blog and leave them some love and prayers.

2. Affectionately called Monster by his mother on her blog, is a young man who has endured so much in his 19 years. He is doing well now, and they are adjusting to a "new normal" as she calls it. Prayers for the family.

3. Mary Katherine, the baby I spoke of here, and her family. While she is not sick, she has left a hole in the hearts of her family. They do not have a blog, so I have no link to offer aside from the one where I spoke of how she touched me. Please remember this family, and their sweet baby, in your prayers.

Also, a parent's heart suffers when they are the one with the illness.

1. I remember speaking with someone who was only an acquaintance of mine a few years ago. Always a health and fitness nut, she was surprised to learn she had developed lung cancer. I do not know her story, I do not know if she had any unusual exposure, or if she had been a smoker herself, though my impression was she had not been. What I do know is she shared with me how sad she was that her girls were "older, but still very young." At the time her daughter and mine were in the early high school years, and she had one daughter in college. She knew she would not see either girl graduate from their current schools, grow to be married, meet her grandchildren, grow old with her husband. She passed away about two years ago, and her words have stayed with me. Please remember Midge in your prayers today.

2. Sweet Mary. She has two blogs: Mary Bennett and The Big C-Catholic, Cancer, Cured.
She is a mother, wife, and she is waging a full war against cancer. She has been struggling but keeps up a brave face for all of us, I think she does not tell us all she is going through, therefore, we must pray harder for her mommy's heart, her health, and her full recovery. Please stop by and visit her, strengthen her with your prayers.

And for those not mentioned here, or not known to me, please remember all the parents suffering, in one way or another, with health issues. Whether it be their own, or their child's illness, a parent always worries about the effects on the health of their child (ren).



At times like these, when a parent's heart is worried, I turn to the Blessed Mother for comfort. Who, better than she, understands the suffering of a momma's heart? She who lost her only son, raised him knowing what his obligations were, and still did as she was asked by Our Lord. She knows the suffering of a parent all too well, therefore, I fly to her protection when the parent in me is needing comfort and reassurance.



Prayer in Honor of the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary



Most holy and afflicted Virgin,
Queen of Martyrs,
you stood beneath the cross,
witnessing the agony of your dying Son.
Look with a mother's tenderness and pity on me,
who kneel before you.
I venerate your sorrows
and I place my requests
with filial confidence
in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.

Present them, I beseech you,
on my behalf to Jesus Christ,
through the merits of His own most sacred passion and
death,
together with your sufferings obtain the granting of my petition.
To whom shall I have recourse in my wants and miseries
if not to you, Mother of Mercy?
You have drunk so deeply of the chalice of your Son,
you can compassionate our sorrows.

Holy Mather, your soul was pierced
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of your Divine Son.
Intercede for me and obtain for me from our Lord

(State your intention here....)

it it be for His honor and glory,
and for my good.

Amen.


This post is linked with Fearless Friday.

How can anyone doubt there is a God after reading this story?


Newborn Saved from Dumpster by Man who Later Finds Out He's the Father

Obviously, God has plans for both Daddy and baby.

H/T to ProWoman ProLife

20 Years of Wedded Bliss!

It has not always been perfect, but the sum total of all of our years together is 20 years of wedded bliss.

10-20-10 = 20 years for my husband and me.

This is 10-20-90

Isn't the church beautiful? I regret that the ugly (and long since removed) chandelier blocks the view of the breathtaking stained glass window. I tried to find it online but could not.

This is in the limosine after the Mass, before pictures.

Notice the red bouquet?

I wanted all red, but my Mom said it was too dramatic for a bride to carry all red.

Too dramatic? I can laugh now...

This picture is on the steps of the chapel at Vassar College.

We were not married there, but it was walking distance from the church.

We did not walk, however, we took the limo.

Back to dramatic...

The extra-long cathedral train was pretty dramatic.

As was the head gear! Look at that 1990 poof!

And the sleeves? Maybe we should not discuss the sleeves from 1990!

Oh, how I loved that dress!

To tell the truth, I still do!

And this, this is my beautiful Mommy, wearing her very dramatic, red corsage!

We lost her 5 years ago on 11-20-2005

When this picture was taken, she was one year older than I am today.

One year from now I hope to look half this good!

Happy anniversary to the other half of my heart, my soulmate.

I pray God blesses us with at least another 20 more!

This post is linked to Rednesday. The perfect day for my anniversary as I love all things RED. My love of red should be obvious, after viewing my bridal bouquet!! Happy Rednesday!!

Unplanned break

What a crazy week that was! Last week was so crazy I did not even get any posts up, not even for Fearless Friday!



The Oldest needed some scholarship papers filled out, I had some personal papers to gather and file, a class I had to take, company to entertain, my outside jobs to do, homeschooling, my classes, multiple places to run with the children, and a little one who has had a bit of a health crisis. In the midst of last week, this....











...which is exactly the pot I have, and creates the coffee from heaven (I am absolutely certain God has a French press)...







...made me feel like this:

when this happened:

So, how did I deal with this unplanned break? I took to my bed and dealt with the flutterings of my poor nerves.

Don't I wish I could be Mrs. Bennett for a day and indulge my poor nerves?

Instead, I consumed camp coffee while I handled all of my real-life stress. Not the least of which is my broken coffee press. Sadly, as hubbins has only gotten one pay check, this is not in the budget to replace just yet. Maybe next week.

Sooo, if I want coffee with the family, we have camp coffee. And my son is getting fairly good at making this concoction. While it pales in comparison to my press, it is consumable and it will keep my veins pumping with their daily dose of caffeine!

And in case you would like to try camp coffee too (insert snickering sounds):

COWBOY COFFEE

You think the cowboys look like that because of their hard life on the trail. Well, I am here to tell you, it is because of their coffee! Click on the photo to go to anyjazz65, the flicker user who took the photo.


Method: Remove boiling water from heat and add ground coffee. Let sit until grounds sink to the bottom, then carefully scoop out coffee with a dipper and pour in your cup. A steady hand can keep from stirring up the grounds, which I can assure you - you do NOT want in your cup. Variations: adding a spot of cold fresh water to the sitting pot helps the grinds sink faster, as does tapping the side of the pot with a spoon.

Taste: Pretty good, considering the low-tech brewing method.

Pros: A good method for serving multiple people at once, if you have a large enough saucepan or kettle.

Cons: Long wait time for the grounds to sink. Messy to clean up. Very easy to get a mouthful of grounds. There's also a lot of wasted coffee in the bottom of the pot.

And, just so you do not feel too badly for me, my son did find in the recesses of the cabinet, a long ago forgotten single cup press. If I get really desperate for coffee during the day, he makes me a cup at a time!! He is a good boy.

Life Begins at 40! Don't You Think So?

WELCOME !!

Fearless Friday

Today I am thankful for my husband's first paycheck in 15 months!

We are so blessed, we are going to make a special dinner tonight, and maybe we will even make a cake.

Or, better yet, Mom's famous banana cream pie!

Note: This is not my pie, rather an image found on an internet search!

A Prayer for Fathers:

St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary,
you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy
family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who
trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their
hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them.
You too knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life
your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with
God's Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you
protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to
watch over him faithfully as you have done.

Pope John XXIII

Today I pray for all fathers and workers.

When I went to link to Fearless Friday, I saw the hostess, Angie put this up:

Also could you please pray for Randy.

He has the opportunity of working somewhere that could literally change our lives in so many ways.

Please pray for my sons Randan and Asher.

Please pray for Shaneah.

Please pray for me.

I don't want to go into details about anything.

God is into details and knows what is best.

So that is ALL that I ask my beloved ones (for that is what you are to me..LOVE), for God's will to be done in our lives. His will and His alone.....

Blessings and know that God calls you to my thoughts and prayers.....(sometimes by name..other times He brings to my mind no name, but a need)

If you would like to add your intentions, leave a comment with your prayer
request, I would be honored to pray for you. If you would rather email me
privately, my address is in the sidebar.

This post is linked with Fearless Friday. Stop by, pray for her intentions too, and let Angie know that Lily sent you :).

Rednesday: The Card House Edition

Boo's special project this week has been perfecting his building skills, making a "House of Cards" Notice, they are red cards!!


He is getting quite serious here:

Ahh, there's a smile!


And his first assistant is Dexter, from Dexter's Wildlife fame:


This post has been linked to Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World.

Making Your Home a Haven

So much more than prettiness and decluttering, homes need peace. Your home should be a haven of happiness, and for the most part, I think it is. I think everyone enjoys being home, and finds it relatively stress free. But then there are those days...

See the post Women Living Well put up, and join the linky if you want to take the challenge. She describes two types of women, and challenges you to make your home more of a haven. It is so easy. She suggests getting a large candle, and every time you notice it flickering, you should pray for peace in your home, and pray for you to be the best you can be. What a fabulous way to remember to pray without ceasing!

Are you in?

Weekend Fun!

The Oldest came home with her special guy, and so we did something fun!

Look at our all-black-halloweenie-cat looking at those Jack-o-lanterns! The Big Guy thought it would be funny to make a victimized and puking pumpkin, hence the knife sticking out on top.

L to R, top row: The Big Guy, Boo (we think this looks like a transformer), Tiger.

It is a bit early for carving the pumpkins, but we may not get The Oldest here again before the end of the month, so we went ahead and carved.

This lovely pie was made by Tiger and Hubbins using the recipe The Oldest developed herself. I heard a rumor that the Big Guy helped with peeling the apples, which were picked off our tree. They made this pie while I was at work Saturday morning. For dinner we had chicken marsala, ravioli, green beans almondine, and one of my vegetarian's (The Oldest) favorite veggies, rutabaga.

Other things the kids did when their sister came home: They all rode their bikes to a local cemetary, over 200 years old, to see the tombstones for The Oldest's anthropology assignment. It seems she needs to collect data from headstones of graves over 100 years old. She is to measure, take photos, note the art work, and make observations. All of this data will be shared with the anthropology students in her class, and then they will all be writing term papers where they will discuss how views of the afterlife have changed in the US. Interesting.

While on the bike ride they stopped at a creek and Bananas, our resident naturalist, demonstrated her advanced frog catching skills. They came back with all sorts of stories about the changes in the creek since the rain of last week. The Oldest brought her a specimen box with gadgets. She absolutely had to try them all out! I think the Oldest and the City Boy were impressed with her skills!

Here she is, eyeing her catch:

She got it, on the first try!


Ick and eww, but what fun for a kid!

Profile: The Health and Fitness Fairy

I love to read about other bloggers, we all come from such varied backgrounds! Therefore, a while back, when I came across a blogger who profiled her 100th follower, I decided to do the same thing.


Without further adieu, I would like to introduce you to the Health and Fitness Fairy, my 100th follower. Isn't she lovely? Her name is Michel.



These are two of her blog buttons. Click them to visit her blogs, and tell her Lily sent you.

I sent her an email interview, here are the questions and her answers:


1. When did you start blogging, and what prompted you to blog?

I started blogging in 2008 at the same time I started my internet and home business. I never thought in a million years I would enjoy it so much, nor did I think in a million years I would learn so much from other Mom Bloggers! Although my business does well, my heart is really into looking after my blogs and adding material that is useful, fresh, and user friendly.

2. I see you have more than one blog, can you tell us a little about them?
I have 3 blogs. The Parent Fairy, Health and Fitness Fairy, and The Kissable Kitchen. Each of these blogs, although in very different niches, evolves around the same concept which is using healthy, natural solutions.



The Parent Fairy offers advice on how to tackle the ups and downs of parenting using healthy, helpful solutions as well as how to tackle the issues of getting kids to eat healthy even when their parents are not there to guide them. You can even learn how to incorporate vegetables into your kids treats without them ever knowing they are there.



Health and Fitness Fairy tackles child, adult and pet health solutions to assist in obtaining and sustaining a healthy way of life. I am an avid believer that when a person learns to incorporate a healthy way of eating they will not need to diet for weight loss. Health and Fitness Fairy also offers information on natural beauty aids and how to use them as well as how to keep your pet healthy, including a natural diet and pet wellness tips.



The Kissable Kitchen offers healthy cooking solutions and recipes that support the vitamins and nutrition the body needs each day. All the recipes are tried and tested by myself, family and friends before I post them. Some of the recipes are my own, some are recipes I have taken and manipulated them to add a healthy vibe and remove unhealthy vibes. I love to cook and so does my six year old and I have found that this has had a huge impact on her ability to try different foods and eat foods that many other kids would not go near.


3 How long were you a dancer? What style of dance did you perform and where? Are you still involved in the dance industry, perhaps through teaching?

I studied ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and Spanish a child. From the age of 6 to 17 my life revolved around dance, dieting, and stretching to obtain all the necessary perfections dance requires. I studied with many dance theatres with the main one being Le Studio in Pasadena where I performed the Nutcracker every Christmas with Pasadena Dance Theatre, amongst many other performances. In the 1980’s I did several music videos as well as several episodes of the TV series Fame. It was my mom’s dream for me to major in dance at university but I took my major to a business level.


4. Your profile says you are an entrepreneur and a mother. What business are you in, and how many children do you have?

Presently I am a work at home mom, with a 6 year old and a 20 year old. I run an internet business through my blogs and I have a home based business making healthy snacks for kids including lunch box items and party treats. Although both of my businesses do quite well, I started them to share what I have learned over the years when it comes to health, fitness, raising kids and incorporating a healthy way of life for myself, my family and our dogs.


5. Is there anything else you would like the readers of Never Fading Wood to know about you?

Although I am a health nut I am really not that much of a nutter about it. I don’t believe in cutting out everything that is not healthy but rather finding a balance. One would think that having been a dancer for so many years, exercise would come as easy as signing my name. Wrong! When I quit dance from burn out, exercise was the furthest thing from my mind and so was eating healthy. I had been doing all that since the age of 6. However, 6 years ago I would have said how very much I hate exercise. Now I will tell you that I can’t be without it. It is a struggle to find the time and sometimes, even though I like it, it is a struggle to get started each morning. However, a simple routine of starting out just 3 times a week will find you wondering why on earth you didn’t do this before. The benefits of regular exercise really are there!



I do not believe in dieting and certainly NOT diet pills of any kind. Rather, following a healthy eating plan (and this does not mean weight watcher meals or diet meals that do not satisfy a person’s hunger) where you learn to eat the foods that nutritiously fuel the body and mind. At the same time being physically active with whatever suits you. Eat, think and breath healthy and the thinness we all struggle for will naturally come.



To all you bloggers out there thanks so much for sharing and caring and for your willingness to be open and honest with your trials and tribulations in life. For sharing the good and the not so good, and for being upstanding bloggers. My businesses would not be where they are today without the help and assistance, not from the internet marketing community but from the mom blogger communities – this is where I gained the most insight, expertise, and value.


What a lovely blogger! I am glad you were follower number 100, I have really enjoyed getting to know you better, and will definitely keep track of your blogs :) I invite you all to go visit and to follow Michel's work. It is obvious she loves what she does, and I'm looking forward to trying her tips and recipes!

Award Time!

Well, I am very far behind!! CMash Loves to Read gave me this award ages ago, and I am just getting around to picking it up now...thank you! Cheryl hosted Tuesday Table Talk for a while, which I enjoyed quite a bit. She has a lovely blog with lots of good books to read on it! Stop by and tell her Lily sent you!


Now for the criteria:
To accept the award you must link back and thank the person who gave you the Life is Good award and answer the 10 questions and pass it along to 6 other blogs :)

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?
I do blog anonymously and I am happy doing so. I made the decision to blog, and I do not want my ramblings to have any effect on the lives of my husband (professionally) or of my children. I was glad for this decision when my husband ended up unemployed. A google search of his name by potential employers would not have resulted in finding my blog!

2.Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.
I don't really consider myself stubborn. Then again, I may be, but I live with a few people that redefine the term "stubborn" every day. Therefore, living in that setting, I just cannot call myself stubborn. (That character trait is found on my husband's side!!)
3.What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?
Someone I like, overall, who could stand to lose a few pounds.
4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?
Iced Tea
5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
Read, blog, crochet, sew, needlepoint, play games with my kids.
6.Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
I'm pretty happy with my life the way it is. I would love to take all the kids to Disney. We did that when some were too little to remember, and I was carrying my youngest. I would love them all to go again.
7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching?
I was fairly popular, did many different things, actually chose social activities over academics, and still managed to do well in school.
8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see? The birth of my first child.
So many, birth and death, both very poignant events.
9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?
I do share a lot of myself (another reason I'm glad to remain anonymous).
10. If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Read, definitely read. I will chat in person, but less so on the phone. I'm not a phone person.

To pass this award on, I wanted to recognize blogs that, in my mind, epitomize "Life is Good", as the award is named:

Crochet Me Crazy

Debbie Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie

Trinity Acres

Happy Home and Heart

Flosculi

A Real (Upstate) NY Housewife

Spotlight Saturday

This week I have chosen to highlight a new-to-me blog: Sacrificial Diet.

This blog is written by Angela, who also writes Free Spirit Haven, the blog that sponsors "Fearless Friday."

Angela has gone from (I think) 245 lbs, down to 110 lbs. But she has done so without dieting, but by utilising the tools given to us through the Catholic Church, tools often forgotten. She has utilized, prayer, fasting, and sacrifice.

Fasting is something I believe in, something I have been able to do, successfully. But I have never applied it to lose weight. I have used it for many other goals, but not for weight loss. DUH! Light bulb moment here. Fasting through prayer, sacrifice, penance, to lose weight. Through regular, disciplined (not willy-nilly) fasting, Angela has acheived a tremendous weight loss, and improvement in her health and emotional/spiritual well-being.

One of the things I just love about Angela is the fact that she tells it like it is. If it is on her mind, in her heart, she shares it on her blogs. She doesn't hide, she shares her struggles, and you can comiserate and draw strength from it. You know you aren't alone.

Go to her blog, leave her comments, learn from her triumph over food. She is an inspiration, and she has done it while staying true to herself, putting God first. How awesome is that?