How Do They Do It?

 

I am acquainted with a young, married couple who go out every weekend.  Often it is going out to dinner or drinks at least twice and there are multiple times throughout the year involving various trips. I would surmise that their income is equal to or less than what our home earns. I know they have a house payment and two vehicle payments in addition to the usual costs. How do they afford it? Are they living off credit cards or do they really know how to budget well? Do you have people like this in your life?

Thoughtful Thursday: Bridal Shower Gift

 

I attended a bridal shower recently and decided to create the "Wedding Day Emergency Kit" for the bride to be and it was a hit!

 

I purchased a cheap tote bag and filled it with all sorts of essentials that would cover an emergency on the wedding day.

It included:

 

umbrella

mints

mouthwash

sewing kit

first aid kit

floss

lip balm

hairbrush

hair spray

stain remover

bobby pins

tissue

water bottle

snack

 

I have another friend who will be married next year and she asked for a bag just like this!

 

Thoughtful Thursday: A Lesson Within A Twisted Story

Just thought I would show you some pictures of our flowers blooming.

Even if it doesn't quite fit the story.....

So.... I am going to tell you a really wacked out story but there is a total moral to the story, I think..... 

 

Here goes.....

 

 

It was Monday night and I had just come in from taking Ambrose out for an evening walk. We were both sweaty and in need of a shower. I waited for husband to finish using the Master bathroom and then I gathered all my things and started my "shower ritual".

 

I am a private person when it comes to showers and such and so I normally lock the door, but I guess my hands were too full and  did not complete the locking of the door.

Ambrose was with me- just hanging around like he usually does and I had started the shower to warm the water. As it heated, I removed my clothing, brushed my teeth and used the bathroom before entering the shower.

 

There I was in all my naked glory, sitting on the toilet and all of a sudden....Hubby opens the door!

 

 

Me: "Get out!"

 

Hubby: Silence....

 

Me: " I am using the bathroom- get out! I am completely naked and on the toilet!"

 

Hubby: Silence... but now he is pointing at the shower and then looking at me... the dog is confused.

 

Me: At this point I had really lost it and had screamed at the top of my lungs, "GET OUT ! F**C*!"  I added the bad word for emphasis.

 

 

He finally left and I was mortified and afraid to even shower..... I put towels all around to block his view should he come in again.

 

When I came out of the shower- there was an exchange but he did not give me an explanation as to why he would infringe on my privacy (and bodily functions).

 

 

Needless to say- I was mad, humiliated, and felt betrayed...... I cried and slept on it.

 

In the morning I went for a walk and as I was walking I told Our Lady that I would lay this all at her feet.... and you know what happened? This horribly choleric gal couldn't be upset anymore.... there was no anger... there was nothing....and then it became funny and funnier as we finally talked about "the event".

 

 

So, that evening we talked.

 

Me: "Why did you come into the bathroom?"

 

Hubby: "My stomach was upset and I needed to use the bathroom."

 

Me: "There are two other toilets in the house."

 

Hubby: "Yeah, but that's my toilet in the master bathroom.... I can only use that one."

 

Me: " You know I don't like you coming into the bathroom while I am using it."

 

Hubby: "  I was just going to see if I could use the bathroom before you started and the door was unlocked so I came in. I didn't know I would see all that."

 

Me: " The door might have not been locked but you still came in and why didn't you say anything?"

 

Hubby: " I was in shock... I came in and the shower was going and you were naked and sitting on the toilet and the dog is looking at you and... it was shocking... I didn't know what to say and I just froze."

 

 

Can you find the moral?

 

 

 



Giving in to Our Imperfections

I like to watch some You Tube channels for make-up information. Most of you know that make-up is a kind of hobby of mine (some would say obsessed).  I have some regular people that I watch and then a few I watch intermittently. 

 Anyway- I came across this gal we will call Molly and she was someone I had not watched for a year or two. The video that pulled up was an announcement that she was a homosexual and had kept it a secret since childhood. She cried and talked about how it wasn’t acceptable in her environment and all this other jibber jabber about first world suffering. I loved how she recorded herself crying when she could easily have edited that out of the video. 

 So… I ended up watching a few more videos after this “coming out” episode. Previous to these videos- the young woman appeared sweet and well mannered- maybe innocent in a sense. The videos afterwards show a disintegration of that previous woman. One video showed her and another woman (who I confirmed later was her lesbian girlfriend) baking while getting drunk and saying all sorts of stupid comments in a loud and obnoxious way. Another video showed her dressing immodestly, visiting nightclubs, drinking, and talking about more stupid stuff. You could see that she and the manly woman were now together in an apartment. You could also see she had moved far from home and maybe away from some better influences. 

 I could only surmise that once she tapped into and accepted an imperfection of herself (something that her own biology couldn’t even adhere to without tools and/or a sexual change) that she basically brought herself down to a very natural/primal state. How could she elevate herself to anything higher than sexual urges when she had chosen to not fight against any of that? With this acceptance of the imperfect she moved to the imperfection of the rest of her life. Manners dropped, better conversation was gone and one can only assume it will continue this way unless she finally hits a breaking point and realizes that Christ and perfection is with the supernatural and not this Godless place where she finds herself now (whether realizing or not).  

I think this could be a good example to relay to others and maybe your older children- what do you think?

Thoughtful Thursdays: Personality Tests

Hubby and I took a personality test (link here) and I was amazed to discover that we score almost identically!
Yes, there was a little bit of difference with the personality, but not much.
So, would you and your spouse be willing to take the test and then post the results in the comment section?
Were you the same or different?

Let me know!

"IF GOD DOES NOT EXIST"

Joe Sobran was my favorite columnist before he died in 2010. He offered more good sense per paragraph than anyone else.In 1993, William F. Buckley publicly fired Sobran from National Review. I had known for three decades that Buckley was the liberal establishment's token conservative intellectual. That act confirmed it. He had also become the neocons' tool. Buckley buckled. Here, Sobran comments on the Littleton massacre, also known as Columbine. Two teenagers killed a dozen schoolmates and a teacher. They injured 21 others.People ask: "Why?" Sobran asked: "Why not?" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Littleton murders are still provoking "solutions" for the problem of youths who choose to shoot their classmates. The usual method of these "solutions" is to imagine how this particular horror could have been prevented, and then to generalize the answer into some sort of national law or social program. More gun control, better counseling, spotting "early warning signals," and so forth.But if any measures could have prevented these murders, they may not apply to others. The next crime to shock us as Littleton did won't duplicate Littleton; it will be something else, something different in all the details the supposed "solutions" address. The uniqueness of this crime -- and of many other crimes -- gets lost in bogus analysis. A couple of specific teenagers were determined to do evil. If they had been prevented from doing it the way they did it, they could have found another way.Maybe the real trouble is that modern culture simply refuses to face the fact of evil. "If God does not exist," as Dostoyevsky wrote, "everything is permitted." As if to underline his words, one of the killers fatally shot a girl when she said she believed in God. If God does not exist, right and wrong are reduced to subjective preferences; even human life loses its dignity. "Thou shalt not kill" means no more than "I hope I won't get shot." Laws become the amoral collective preferences of the majority. But what if the killers, as at Littleton, are prepared to die in the course of their crimes? There are always those who won't be deterred by laws. This is a fact of life. Christian culture has always recognized original sin, man's eternal and irrational inclination to do wrong. But to the denizens of modern culture, the idea of original sin is nonsense.Modern culture is a negative, not a positive thing. It's what is left when you subtract Christianity from Christian culture -- so it's a barren, bloodless, desiccated, and uninspiring thing, sometimes called "secular humanism."Modern culture recognizes nothing above man, so there is nothing worth dying for and sacrifice is absurd. It recognizes no God and denies the soul, the afterlife, and ultimate justice. It tells us we should fight against Hitler (or some Hitler-of-the Month like Slobodan Milosevic), but it can't explain why a young man should be prepared to give up his short life, the only existence he will ever know, when "sacrifice" means no more than suicide.In a secularized universe, nobility and honor have no meaning. Neither does chastity. Yet these are virtues recognized by most other cultures. The ancient Greeks and Romans thought honor and chastity were worth dying for; they worshiped the virgin goddess Diana, and they praised the chaste matron Lucrece for killing herself, for honor's sake, after having been raped.Secularized culture, being negative, is only legalistic. It can't move the heart or fill the imagination. It merely encourages grievances about an ever-widening range of supposed civil wrongs, under the general heading of "discrimination." All social relations become legal and political relations.We can even amend Dostoyevsky in light of the twentieth century: "If God does not exist, everything is permitted, especially to governments." The state that recognizes no absolute right or wrong will keep trying to enlarge its own power, even to the point of declaring some people subhuman if they get in the way of social engineering or even personal pleasure.Our own government has made abortion a legal right, while pretending to be "neutral" about religion and morality. Deciding that some lives may be taken at will is anything but "neutral." It assumes that unborn children are nothing but biological matter. At bottom, it assumes the same thing about the whole human race. It assumes that for human beings, there is no higher happiness than unrestrained sexual pleasure; after all, "higher" and "lower" are only relative terms.For some people, there may be something sweeter than sex: revenge. That was what drove the Littleton killers. And why not, if God does not exist? The Littleton killers were products of the very culture that is trying to disown them -- a culture that has ignored Baudelaire's words: "Satan's cleverest wile is to convince us that he doesn't exist."

This article inspired the title of a new collection of Sobran columns of the same name: Subtracting Christianity: Essays on American Culture and Society (fgfBooks.com, 2015). This column was published originally by Universal Press Syndicate on May 13, 1999.

 

DISCRIMANATION AND IRONY

This week there was a bridal shower at work for a fellow co-worker.  The co-worker has been living with the man for 12 years and will be married by the government. Prior to all of this going down she had relayed to me that the man she lived with was baptized and raised Catholic up until his father passed away (which occurred when he was an adult). After that, he fell away from his faith. I also understood that he was married before but it wasn’t clarified to me whether it was by law or in the Catholic Church (I am leaning towards the former).  So, do I dismiss Christ raising marriage to a sacrament and attend or back away from the event?

As you can see from the scenario presented above- I can’t attend the shower. I discussed with another Catholic co-worker who couldn’t seem to take courage and not attend even though she could see the implications. I told one other co-worker who is not Catholic and was very surprised at the negative reaction. She went on and on about “religion and rules” and threw out some nasty remarks when I also refused to sign the card. 

Now, do you want to know the irony? We have a co-worker who is Jehovah Witness and does not participate in any celebrations throughout the year. Do you think he has ever received one negative comment? Nope- not one! In fact, accommodations have been made to change the Christmas party to “holiday” and birthday celebrations to “random pot luck”.

 

Goodbye memory...

I still remember purchasing this with my own money when I was about 15 years old. Wow, do you know how many years ago that was? It took me a long time to finally part with this blanket. It was like I was losing a part of my childhood..... which is what hoarders do! They associate memories with things so it had to go!

Ambrose was distraught as well.

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

By Bionic Mosquito

July 8, 2008

Matthew 8:12 “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The Supreme Court ruling apparently has Christians living as exiles in their own country, this according to Rod Dreher:

…orthodox Christians must understand that things are going to get much more difficult for us. We are going to have to learn how to live as exiles in our own country.

You might think that the verse I cite above is in reference to these exiled Christians in the United States.  You would be wrong.  I mean it as literally as Jesus meant it; this might help:

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Back to Dreher:

No, the sky is not falling — not yet, anyway — but with the Supreme Court ruling constitutionalizing same-sex marriage, the ground under our feet has shifted tectonically.

Dreher is right – the sky isn’t falling; it fell, long ago.  Nothing has shifted tectonically with this decision.

It was American Christians that led the charge to public funding of education.  Millions of American Christians continue to send their children to public schools today.  The state will educate your children – how did that work out?

It is American Christians who demand that their Christian private schools meet all standards of government curriculum.

American Christians support the military and wars; the killing of countless millions of non-combatants – people who never presented a threat – does not cause a flinch.  On every holiday, they turn their house of worship into a house of warship.

American Christians support the brutality of the State of Israel.

American Christians support torture.

American Christians leave benevolent good works to the state.

American Christians support the drug wars, turning individuals who – at worst – have an unhealthy habit or addiction into hardened criminals.

American Christians look to salvation by the state:

Voting Republican and other failed culture war strategies are not going to save us now.

Now?  NOW?

How stupid do you have to be, American Christian, to have ever believed in salvation by state?  For by State are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of the Republican Party.

Name one example of when voting Republican “saved” you.  You have served yourself up on a silver platter.  Now you are being skinned.

Dreher’s solution?

It is time for what I call the Benedict Option….Throughout the early Middle Ages, Benedict’s communities formed monasteries, and kept the light of faith burning through the surrounding cultural darkness. Eventually, the Benedictine monks helped refound civilization.

This takes courage; it takes dedication.  The cost will be high.

American Christians couldn’t stand tall when the cost was minimal; why will they do so now?

Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.

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.

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.

A Bridal Shower Without the Bride?

"Unfortunately the bride will be unable to be present at the shower due to distance and timing. Because of this, we would like you to bring your gifts unwrapped so everyone can enjoy seeing them. Please bring the appropriate wrapping paper and tags as we will wrap gifts at the shower for the bride and bridegroom top open together afterwards."

So, this is an invitation I received for a bridal shower to be held at our church. What do you think of it? The bride lives in another state and isn't a part of our parish. 

Becoming More Independent.... and this isn't a Feministic Rant

Our refrigerator has not been cooling properly and we really can only keep water in there while the freezer has become the fridge. Luckily, we have a second refrigerator in our garage so the impact hasn't been so detrimental to our daily lives (maybe one shouldn't use the word detrimental when speaking of a fridge).
I have been searching all over the internet and You Tube and have attempted to fix this thing numerous times. I finally called the company itself and we figured out the problem with a few tests.
Apparently, the gasket isn't closing properly which is allowing all sorts of warm air to enter the fridge and freezer. So, instead of purchasing a new refrigerator or hiring a service technician- I decided to handle the repair myself.
I ordered the parts.
They arrived.
I looked at them.
They didn't look at me...because they have no eyes (I think the ants were watching while they drank the poison...nosy bastards).
I sighed...
and then I got to work.

I watched You Tube to get an idea of how to remove and add the gaskets from the fridge/freezer. It was pretty easy and I felt quite accomplished.
Once everything was put together, I took a water bottle and placed in the middle of the freezer and waited.

And... it didn't work.

Vacations

Hubby and I were thinking of taking a trip somewhere, but should we do that with so much work to get done at home? I mean, we have a huge painting project and the yard continues to be a mess....
Going on an airplane is such an privacy invasive ordeal now... ughers.
Maybe we should have one overnight trip and then just work around the house for the rest of the time off. Any ideas?

Book Choice for Lent

Last year a priest recommended this for Lenten reading and so I have taken his advice and started the book yesterday.  This recommendation reminds me of a conversation with a woman at work. She is Catholic, but in the Novus Ordo world and has continuously mentioned a book that supposedly pulls from St. Ignatius. The author is Margaret Silf. I finally looked up the information on the book and author and was saddened to discover that this woman has converted to various different religions, left her Catholic faith and is now into some kind of non-denominational  sect. She continues to preach/hold these "Ignatian" like retreats for various walks of life. What blows my mind is that the lady I work with doesn't seem to take into consideration the tried and true books written by the saints themselves! Why not dismiss the water-down unauthentic book and go straight to St. Ignatius and his writings? Why place your soul in danger like that? 

Thoughtful Thursday....

So, somebody asked me how I got my husband to help me around the house without being called a "nag".  This kind of floored me since I would never deem myself a great wife worthy of bestowing advice, but what the hell? 

If I do ask my husband for help and he starts throwing a fit, I simply state that I can't do it on my own and need his wonderful help. If this doesn't work, I  say that I "will do my best" and leave it at that.  This means that I will try to take care of what needs to be done, but I am not going to stay up all hours of the night or work myself into a tizzy.  Marriage has two people and we both need to work together. I remember the hours I spent cleaning house for guests and then it dawned on me; this was our house, and our family. It wasn't a neighbor's house, it wasn't a sister's family- it was all ours. We both had to take care care of things and it can't always be 60/40 or 70/30. So, I stopped stressing, I do my best and leave the rest. If the husband isn't stressed, why should I be? If I am cleaning house and dinner isn't made, then dinner isn't made. Next time, maybe hubby will help me with the house and then dinner will be made. If I am working in the yard and laundry isn't done, then laundry isn't done. Maybe hubby (or if you have kids, maybe the kids) will help with either the yard work or the laundry so either or both can be done. Maybe even tell the oldest kids to have a meeting with the younger kids and get a plan together for handling all the chores so mom can take care of dinner or whatever needs to be done. 

So, no more stress here- I just do what I can and hope he does too. And, if he bitches at me about it, I just call him the nag **wink**.... :-)

Lesson

Don't leave your stove on and then put a wood block on top..... That's bad.

Thoughtful Thursday.....A Page From My Mamma

As we celebrate the glorious Feast of Our Blessed Mother's Assumption, I can't help but reflect upon my own little mamma.  I think we forget what a blessing it is to grow up with Catholic parents- especially when one parent comes from generations of Catholicism. So, I would like to present a list of little sayings/devotions that have stayed with me all of these years.

1. Never cross your legs in church.

2. If you can't make it to Mass- you can't make it anywhere.

3. We don't listen to music during Lent.

4. Young ladies (unmarried) wear white mantillas in church.

5. You sit with your family, sing in choir or (if a boy) serve at Mass. You do not sit with your friends.

6. Church is for offering worship to God- not socializing. You do not go to church for your friends-you go for Christ.

7. Offer your crosses  up for poor souls in purgatory.

8. Be modest and clean in your dress/appearance.

Sisters, can you think of any?

Thoughtful Thursday: Go To Outfits

Do you have a "go to" outfit for home, church, shopping, employment, or events? 

I was thinking about this as I plopped out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to get ready for work. I can have an outfit ready to go, but if the hair and make up that would go with it are just too much effort- I head to the "go to " outfit. You know, that outfit where you don't have to think- just throw it on and go.

This picture is probably my most common outfit which is a kaki skirt with a black tank and cardigan.

Rain, Rain, Here to Stay?

Today's game plan involved mowing the law which I failed to handle this past weekend. God had other plans and I woke up to blooming lilies dancing in the rain! 

I still managed to: 

Pay bills

Vacuum one room

Iron 12 shirts

Wash and put away three loads of laundry

Wash the kitchen and dining room floors

Clean out three drawers

Wipe down the bathtub

Make an appointment

and

Make dinner

I have to stay motivated!