More Yummies....

 

The Sum of Perfection

By: Saint John of the Cross

Forgetfulness of created things,

remembrance of the Creator,

 attention turned toward inward things,

 and loving the Beloved.

Busy Day for Busy Puppy!

Getting into my travel bag

Stealing my hosiery

Covered in dirt after an afternoon outside

Wears himself out!

Would You Ever Go Tiny?

Hubby and I are a bit mesmerized by this kind of living. I must confess that this interests me each time I become with our mess/projects in a full size house. Also, with this size home- you wouldn't need a full time job.

Cornish Hens... The Other White Meat...

Just had to take a picture of our dinner- doesn't that look yummy?

Kindness

By: Father Lovasik
Part 1
The Blessings of Kindness

" When your soul cherishes a gracious thought, it is as if God saw His own being reflected in a silent, sacred likeness. A kind thought is like the image of the Savior in your soul. God beholds it and rejoices at it and blesses your soul because your thoughts and sentiments are so much after His own Heart."

Tomás Luis de Victoria (c.1548-1611) Missa Alma Redemptor

2015 Reading List Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The first book of the year that I finished is:

The Hidden Power of Kindness by Father Lovasik

 

This is actually the published version by Sophia Institute Press.

The book was so inspiring  to me that I went on a search and found the original that is still published through Father Lovasik's family! I am re-reading this book in it's original format because it is that good and important in helping me overcome vices that tend to be looked over/dismissed as petty.

 

 

 

 



You purchase/own too much of.....

What do you tend to stock up or purchase in excess in your home and do you think it can be justified?

 

I thought about this just now as I began to peruse through Bath and Body Works sale items even though I know I have enough soap to last a couple of years (at least)!

 

Yes, I buy things in excess, in bulk, in huge gigantic amounts! Hubby is like this too (he will deny it, though, so don't ask)

 

I often wonder why I have these tendencies because  I don't think any of my siblings have this issue. I don't think my parents suffer from this either.

Anyway... I was thinking of working on just one or two particular products and see what I end up with at the end of the year.  Hairspray comes to mind. I don't know... should I post pictures? Give an inventory count? Talk to me people.

Our Little Guy

After one month of being in our home- he knows when it is time for bed!

Crazy...

I was doing some research for work and pulled up an address on Google Maps. Look what the satellite captured the day this picture was taken! This is a house on fire!

Happy Feast of the Epiphany

Feast of
the Epiphany

A Reading for the Day Excerpts from sermons XXXI, XXXIII, XXXIV, and XXXVI on the Epiphany, by Pope Leo the Great (ca. A.D. 395-461). You can download this reading in Microsoft Word .doc format here (3 pages): The Epiphany a necessary sequel to the Nativity. After celebrating but lately the day on which immaculate virginity brought forth the Saviour of mankind, the venerable feast of the Epiphany, dearly beloved, gives us continuance of joy, that the force of our exultation and the fervour of our faith may not grow cool, in the midst of neighbouring and kindred mysteries. For it concerns all men's salvation, that the infancy of the Mediator between God and men was already manifested to the whole world, while He was still detained in the tiny town. For although He had chosen the Israelitish nation, and one family out of that nation, from whom to assume the nature of all mankind, yet He was unwilling that the early days of His birth should be concealed within the narrow limits of His mother's home: but desired to be soon recognized by all, seeing that He deigned to be born for all... ...The wise men from the East are typical fulfilments of God's promise to Abraham. Now the manifestation of this unspeakable mercy, dearly-beloved, came to pass when Herod held the royal power in Judea, where the legitimate succession of Kings having failed and the power of the High-priests having been overthrown, an alien-born had gained the sovereignty: that the rising of the true King might be attested by the voice of prophecy, which had said: "a prince shall not fail from Juda, nor a leader from his loins, until He come for whom it is reserved, and He shall be the expectation of the nations." Concerning which an innumerable succession was once promised to the most blessed patriarch Abraham to be begotten not by fleshly seed but by fertile faith; and therefore it was compared to the stars in multitude that as father of all the nations he might hope not for an earthly but for a heavenly progeny. And therefore, for the creating of the promised posterity, the heirs designated under the figure of the stars are awakened by the rising of a new star, that the ministrations of the heaven might do service in that wherein the witness of the heaven had been adduced. A star more brilliant than the other stars arouses wise men that dwell in the far East, and from the brightness of the wondrous light these men, not unskilled in observing such things, appreciate the importance of the sign: this doubtless being brought about in their hearts by Divine inspiration, in order that the mystery of so great a sight might not be hid from them, and, what was an unusual appearance to their eyes, might not be obscure to their minds. In a word they scrupulously set about their duty and provide themselves with such gifts that in worshipping the One they may at the same time show their belief in His threefold function: with gold they honour the Person of a King, with myrrh that of Man, with incense that of God... ...The perseverance of the Magi has led to the most important results. Led then, dearly beloved, into Bethlehem by obeying the guidance of the star, the wise men "rejoiced with very great joy," as the evangelist has told us: "and entering the house, found the child with Mary, His mother; and falling down they worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh." What wondrous faith of perfect knowledge, which was taught them not by earthly wisdom, but by the instruction of the Holy Spirit! Whence came it that these men, who had quitted their country without having seen Jesus, and had not noticed anything in His looks to enforce such systematic adoration, observed this method in offering their gifts unless it were that besides the appearance of the star, which attracted their bodily eyes, the more refulgent rays of truth taught their hearts that before they started on their toilsome road, they must understand that He was signified to Whom was owed in gold royal honour, in incense Divine adoration, in myrrh the acknowledgment of mortality. Such a belief and understanding no doubt, as far as the enlightenment of their faith went, might have been sufficient in themselves and have prevented their using their bodily eyes in inquiring into that which they had beheld with their mind's fullest gaze. But their sagacious diligence, persevering till they found the child, did good service for future peoples and for the men of our own time: so that, as it profited us all that the apostle Thomas, after the Lord's resurrection, handled the traces of the wounds in His flesh, so it was of advantage to us that His infancy should be attested by the visit of the wise men. And so the wise men saw and adored the Child of the tribe of Judah, "of the seed of David according to the flesh," "made from a woman, made under the law," which He had come "not to destroy but to fulfil." They saw and adored the Child, small in size, powerless to help others, incapable of speech, and in nought different to the generality of human children. Because, as the testimonies were trustworthy which asserted in Him the majesty of invisible Godhead, so it ought to be impossible to doubt that "the Word became flesh," and the eternal essence of the Son of God took man's true nature: lest either the inexpressible marvels of his acts which were to follow or the infliction of sufferings which He had to bear should overthrow the mystery of our Faith by their inconsistency: seeing that no one at all can be justified save those who believe the Lord Jesus to be both true God and true Man... ...The story of the magi is not only a bygone fact in history, but of everyday application to ourselves. The day, dearly-beloved, on which Christ the Saviour of the world first appeared to the nations must be venerated by us with holy worship: and today those joys must be entertained in our hearts which existed in the breasts of the three magi, when, aroused by the sign and leading of a new star, which they believed to have been promised, they fell down in presence of the King of heaven and earth. For that day has not so passed away that the mighty work, which was then revealed, has passed away with it, and that nothing but the report of the thing has come down to us for faith to receive and memory to celebrate; seeing that, by the oft-repeated gift of God, our times daily enjoy the fruit of what the first age possessed. And therefore, although the narrative which is read to us from the Gospel properly records those days on which the three men, who had neither been taught by the prophets' predictions nor instructed by the testimony of the law, came to acknowledge God from the furthest parts of the East, yet we behold this same thing more clearly and abundantly carried on now in the enlightenment of all those who are called, since the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled when he says, "the Lord has laid bare His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the nations upon earth have seen the salvation which is from the Lord our God" and again, "and those to whom it has not been announced about Him shall see, and they who have not heard, shall understand." Hence when we see men devoted to worldly wisdom and far from belief in Jesus Christ brought out of the depth of their error and called to an acknowledgment of the true Light, it is undoubtedly the brightness of the Divine grace that is at work: and whatever of new light illumines the darkness of their hearts, comes from the rays of the same star: so that it should both move with wonder, and going before lead to the adoration of God the minds which it visited with its splendour. But if with careful thought we wish to see how their threefold kind of gift is also offered by all who come to Christ with the foot of faith, is not the same offering repeated in the hearts of true believers? For he that acknowledges Christ the King of the universe brings gold from the treasure of his heart: he that believes the Only-begotten of God to have united man's true nature to Himself, offers myrrh; and he that confesses Him in no wise inferior to the Father's majesty, worships Him in a manner with incense.  See: https://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas9.html for the entire article

Work: Ugh.....need I say more?

Church: No Mass this week or the feast day or Saturday. :-(

Home: I do have one organization project I want to work on in my bedroom.

Budget: I have to finish up the 2014 records for tax season.

Pro -Life: I plan to pray and counsel outside the clinic this week.

Dinner Making: We do plan going out for dinner with a friend this week.

What's going on in your world?

We Can't Go Back....

Can you believe our master bathroom looked like this one year ago?

So, I want to make a career change, but I don't know what to do. I really just don't know what would be the ideal job for me. I do know that it needs to be more for an introvert... I don't want to do customer service anymore.... do you have any suggestions?

2015 Resolutions and Project Plans

In no particular order:

1. Replace half the windows in our home.
2. Replace the backyard deck.
3. Finish painting the front porch.
4. Work on learning how to tile, and change out a toilet and vanity for my half bathroom.
5. Work on training Ambrose on the leash  and eventually walk him two to four times per week.
6. Read 15 books by the end of the year. This time, though, I am not going to create a set list.
7. As always, work on improving my overall health.
8. Work on expanding my knowledge regarding music.
9. Work on expanding my knowledge regarding the Spanish language.
10. Work on my spiritual life.
11. Try to put together a plan for the future for our home and my work career.


Do you have any resolutions?

2014 Final

Well, the year has ended and I wanted to post pictures of our Christmas tree.
Isn't it lovely? I didn't decorate too much due to the time spent training our little puppy. He is a handful but absolutely adorable!

Ambrose in his Christmas sweater

There were many things I didn't accomplish, but we must make resolutions and move forward!

Have you made a Resolution List?

Wishing You A Happy

Feast of
the Circumcision