Last week my friend Audrey and her husband Phil took their two children to the Texas Roadhouse at Arrowhead in Peoria, Arizona - a suburb of Phoenix. One of their kids, Henry, has autism and he had a rough time adjusting to the new environment with its music, noise, bustling people, animal heads on the walls, and cactus.
Audrey wrote, "In short, it was miserable for all of us.
The staff, however, was wonderful and did their best to make it work for us. The waiter was SO patient and helpful. He and the manager worked together to get us another table farther away from the busy-ness. He warned us when a group dance was coming and said the music was going to be louder, which gave me a chance to get Henry into the waiting area/vestibule where it was quieter. He removed the cactus at the new table (and the new table was out of visual sight of any animal heads)."
But the good service didn't stop there. Audrey continued, "Then the balloon guy came to the table and distracted Henry by making designs for both kids. That awesome balloon guy and the new table/environmental context bought us about 15-20 minutes - just enough time for momma to eat a bit before having to run off to the car with Henry. The manager gave me his card and wrote three table numbers on the back, saying whenever we come in to just call ahead and tell them we need one of those three tables to make it easier for us to bring Henry."
I do not have a child with autism but even as a mother of four children aged four and under, and one with very severe food allergies, I definitely appreciate a restaurant and its employees doing their best to take care of their customers. Many servers would have been annoyed and unjustly complained about how demanding Audrey and Phil were being. Instead the manager and waiter respected Henry and accommodated his special needs to make the family's evening out really enjoyable.
Audrey finished by saying, "I could have hugged each one of these gentlemen. They were outstanding in every way and went above-and-beyond in their service to our family to help us cope with the situation. I can't say enough about this staff and how hard they worked to help our family tonight. The manager and waiter both said it's not a big deal, that this is what they do - they're here to help people."
I am so grateful to the staff of the Arrowhead Texas Roadhouse for being kind, compassionate, charitable, and generous. Well done!
If you live in the Phoenix area I hope the next time you're hankering for dinner out you will support the Arrowhead Texas Roadhouse in appreciation for how wonderful they were to Henry and the whole family.
The Catholic Church lifts up holy men and women as role models for us, examples of people who heard God say “Be holy as I am holy” and set themselves to that task. We can look at the timeline of their lives and see their obvious sins and struggles and how they overcame them by relying on God, His Sacraments, and His Word. As we study the lives of the saints, we see their personalities and they become our friends. As such, we are confident that just like our loved ones surrounding us on Earth, our heavenly companions are praying for us.
Currently, Holy Mother Church is in the midst of the canonization process for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Many of faithful, myself included, hope that he will one day be declared a saint. Having already investigated Sheen’s writings, the Vatican recently read through almost 2,000 pages of witness testimony and on June 28, 2012 declared Sheen “Venerable,” putting him just one step away from “Blessed.” Three alleged miracles have been sent to Rome, including one involving my stillborn son James Fulton, with the hopes that one will be declared a true miracle, bringing about Sheen’s beatification.
Occasionally people wonder, “Why Sheen?” Why did my husband and I name our boy after him and why do we consider him worthy of being a saint? My answer: Here are five reasons why Venerable Sheen should be canonized and why our culture needs his example and his intercession.
1 - Love this song. I know some of you play the songs for your kids and if you're not already familiar with this be warned that "Give them hell" is part of the chorus.
2 - I give that warning in case your kids are like my kids. Because Ben walks around the house saying, "Oh damnit." And his dad doesn't cuss.
3 - Last night my friend Katie was over and she was asking her goddaughter, L, what she wanted to be when she grew up. "Well, my first choice is to be a princess in a large castle. Or a farmer." Katie, who grew up on a farm and is very much a farm girl asked her what kind of farmer she would be. L rattled off some veggies she would grow and then changed her mind.
"Maybe I will have unicorns and they'll make rainbows," she said so sweetly. And then I lost it and started laughing because I thought "out their butts." Except I didn't think 'butts'. What kind of mom am I?
4 - The reason Katie came over was to help make invitations to L's 5th birthday party. Here's a little glimpse of the cards for the Lorax themed party.
I don't know if people will get the whole "We thneed to celebrate" or the "where the grickle grass grows" parts but hopefully they'll just assume it's from the book/movie and roll with it.
Roll with it, people!
5 - Confession: I finally watched Les Mis... and I only sorta liked it. I had never seen it before and didn't know that it was a musical in that every blessed thing was sang. There were many parts where I thought, "If only this were dialogue I wouldn't be bored."
Are you gonna throw something at me?
6 - Earlier this week I visited Katie's 5th grade classroom (she's a teacher at a Catholic school, a DRE, and her parish's youth group leader, which is why she has so many awesome crafts/lessons for so many age groups for free on her blog). They've been learning about Fulton Sheen and so I spoke to them about JF's alleged miracle and the canonization process. They were awesome, awesome kids and I had a lot of fun.
You've probably seen this already. It was all over my Facebook feed. Friends and cousins and every other woman posting it and commenting on how touching it was and how much they wanted the women in their lives to know that they are beautiful.
It was hard for me to watch. Like many of my friends I cried when I watched it, too, but I also felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.
I thought about how I would describe myself, what words I would have given to the artist. Of course I didn't have to think very hard or long. They are all right there, at the forefront of my mind and on the tip of my tongue because I think them every time I do my make-up, pass a mirror, or open the door to leave my home and go into public.
big, pale forehead
wide, rounded nose
medium sized eyes that are "hooded"
crooked teeth
full, pudgy face - fat like the rest of me
small dimples on the cheeks
hair that's probably inappropriately long for my age and in bad need of a trim
some acne
I am in this terrible rut where I do not like how I look and how long I've looked this way. It's embarrassing, really. I feel embarrassed. As I meet new people I want to take them back in time to the Bonnie who happily wore a size M. Who had strong legs, a thin face, and perfectly sized c-cup breasts. "See! I didn't always look like this... most of my life, yes, but there was a time when I lost 50lbs and I kept it off for 6 years. Six years! It wasn't a fluke!"
My kids will sometimes get a hold of my camera and take random pictures. Later I'll see shots of me giving T a bottle, typing on the computer, walking through the living room, fixing a meal. These pictures are always unflattering but I think the reality is that when picture after picture after picture is bad then it's not really the picture that looks bad - it's me. I'm sure there is a huge difference in what I see in the pictures and what my kids see but, well, I guess it just is what it is.
I know the message of the video is powerful and so I showed the it to my husband, who was also impressed by it. "You should show it to your students," I told him. "I should," he said. It doesn't really fit into any chemistry or physics lesson plans but imagine how powerful it could be to classrooms of high school boys and girls.
But me, I don't want to watch it again. What they are stating is obviously true, but it's a truth I can't hear right now. For some reason it is just much too painful.
For my 31st birthday I wrote a list of 31 things I'd like to accomplish in the next year. Let's take a look at how well I've been doing.
1 - Lose another 45lbs. I lost like 5 more pounds and then I got pregnant and that ended that.
2 - Run an 8 minute mile. Lol - oh my gosh! That is so funny!
3 - Memorize the morning offering and pray it each and every day. This I did do. I am not always consistent in praying it but it is memorized and I have done it a good 70% of the time since my July birthday.
4 - Read more to my kids. Yes and no. I had hoped to have a time for reading built into our days but with pregnancy came exhaustion and more naps. However, I have been intentional in not saying "no" when the kids ask me to read to them.
5 - Read more for myself. This I have done. So yay.
6 - Spend one-on-one time with each of my kids every day, even if it's just 5 minutes. Nope. Each kid gets one-on-one day one day a week, at least that's more what it feels like. Again, the pregnancy is to blame.
7 - Get down and play on the floor more. There's been a slight improvement here. When Ben asks me to build him a train track I say 'yes' about 95% of the time, verses 50% before. I also sit and color with L more and stack and build and tickle with JF and Resa. But it's definitely not what I would like it to be.
8 - Mop more often. Nope. I don't even own a mop.
9 - Go to Adoration. Yes. Many thanks to the young adult group at a local parish who offers monthly adoration with free babysitting and a potluck following.
10 - Find out the "love language" of the people I care most about and make sure I use it. Wasn't that a good thought?
11 - Go for more walks. I was really good about this in the Fall and with the return on good weather and healthy kids I hope to make this a normal part of the day.
12 - Arrange to spend time with my Mom without the kids. ummmm.... things came up.
13 - Clean out my closet. Did this. Need to do it again.
14 - Own less stuff. Ditto above.
15 - Stop worrying about how people perceive me online. For the most part, yes, thanks be to God.
16 - Go to a concert. Not yet. Did I?
17 - Share JF's story with more people. Yes. Fortunately I've had many opportunities to speak to groups of people and to contribute to other websites, sharing the events of JF's birth and the canonization process for Fulton Sheen.
18 - Find ways to tighten our budget to get rid of debt. We have done this. Yay!
19 - Look into parochial school for L's kindergarten. Looked into it... still don't know what we're going to do.
20 - Homeschool pre-school for L doing school three times a week. I have really failed on this one. I was doing so well for so long but have completely petered out. Fortunately I know that L is already ready for kindergarten but she loves learning and I wish I had more energy to do it. I need to recommit to this one.
21 - Find more ways to honor Travis. Yes. I did do this.
22 - Write JF's story. Working on this - it takes a lot of effort to collect all the information and relive all those events. I want one complete narrative of what happened with JF instead of just the random blog posts I have now. I confess, most times I work on it I sit and cry for at least a little bit.
23 - Eat at McDonalds less. I think we might be eating at McDonald's more. We really, really, really need to kick this habit.
24 - Spend more time with my grandparents. Yes and no.
25 - Write more letters to my friends in convents. Yes. I have done this but I still have a lot of room for improvement.
26 - Try new recipes. Yes. And it's so fun.
27 - Cook with fresh produce. I do this best when our garden is producing. During the winter months I usually use frozen veggies and buy fresh fruit.
28 - Buy a quarter of a cow from a local farmer. (Anyone wanna go in on this with us?) We did this one and it has made a huge difference for us. We actually got half a cow and we love it. We've never had money for things like roasts and steaks but now we have a bunch in the freezer. It's wonderful.
29 - Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet more and teach it to my kids. This one would be a complete failure.
30 - Drink more water every day. Some days I do well, some days I don't. Usually I don't.
31 - Enjoy having a baby. This I definitely succeeded in. I have loved having Resa, which is easy with such an easy, sweet baby. When I became pregnant again I was afraid my milk supply would dry up immediately like it did with the other kids but God was good and I am still nursing her at night. Also, I exclusively nursed her for a long time so that she went from breast to table foods like crackers and cooked veggies. Being her sole source of food for so long forced me to sit and enjoy her. Also, I think my other kids have helped me delight in her. L, B, and J adore their sister and she has so much fun with them. Watching them all play together has been a huge blessing. I admit that I threw a lot of these goals out the window when I learned I was pregnant because I knew I knew I could focus on little more than the bare essentials (feeding and clothing and monitoring the kids and some housework). I also gave myself a new goal with the positive pregnancy test of allowing myself to nap as often as needed. Sometimes the dishes pile up for a couple of days and I definitely don't dust and vacuum as often as I should but napping is good for my growing baby and it improves my mood - which is good for everyone!
Everything I've seen and read about Dr. Kermit Gosnell makes me want to turn away and cry. And then it fills me up with piss and vinegar. Don't know what I'm talking about? Let me bring you up to speed.
First, take a look at the Overview from the Grand Jury Report regarding the criminal trial against Dr. Kermit Gosnell. It's important to read because it's not written by people who are pro or anti abortion. It is simply a stating of facts. This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we
mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester
of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with
scissors. The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in
which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among
them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels – and, on at least two
occasions, caused their deaths. Over the years, many people came to know that
something was going on here. But no one put a stop to it. Let us say right up front that we realize this case will be used by those on both
sides of the abortion debate. We ourselves cover a spectrum of personal beliefs about the
morality of abortion. For us as a criminal grand jury, however, the case is not about that
controversy; it is about disregard of the law and disdain for the lives and health of
mothers and infants. We find common ground in exposing what happened here, and in
recommending measures to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
It's a long document, but you can read the rest here if you wish.
Now, take a quick look at this and take in all the information presented here.
You'll also want to watch this video, though not with kids around.
Again, you may want abortion to be legal in the US. You may even be okay with late term abortions being legal. I wholeheartedly disagree with you but we should be able to agree that all of the following is wrong and deserves at least the same amount of news coverage as Jay Z and Beyonce going to Cuba:
- 2 women dead because of the poor care provided by Gosnell.
- Hundreds of babies who were born alive after an induced labor who were then killed by Gosnell or his staff piercing their necks and snipping their spinal cords. These babies were viable and older than many of the babies one would find in a NICU. That's not abortion - that's murder.
- Gosnell spread venereal diseases amongst his patients by reusing disposable tools and not cleaning them.
- Gosnell's clinic was reported several times over the course of several years and they were never investigated.
- Gosnell's clinic went 17 years without an inspection.
- White patients were treated much better than black patients and women from other minorities.
- Untrained and unlicensed staff were administering drugs illegally and dangerously.
- The bodies and miscellaneous body parts of aborted babies were stashed throughout the clinic, not properly disposed of.
If we really care about women's rights, civil rights, and the dignity of people then we should be raising hell about this. Planned Parenthood should be raising hell about this. The medical community should be raising hell about this. The media should be raising hell about this. But PP is silent and Charlie Rose, Matt Laurer, Diane Sawyer, and Brian Williams are all silent about it.
This is disgusting, horrific, vile, inhumane - and I'm not just talking about everything that Gosnell did. I'm also talking about the fact that outside of the prolife community (who has been tweeting, blogging, and speaking about it for months) people are not talking about this. Because here's the bottom line, folks: Gosnell's clinic in Pennsylvania is not the only place this kind of stuff is happening. You want "safe, legal, and rare"? Then you should be enraged and you should be raising hell.
Two more things: I've seen some pretty harsh statements about Gosnell and his staff. Instead of cheering for their damnation we need to pray that they will repent and seek God's mercy.
Secondly, if you or someone you know works in the abortion industry and you are ready to get out please check out Abby Johnson's organization And Then There Were None. They will help you find new work and even pay bills until a new job is found. They also offer legal support and emotional support. Please, consider this your opportunity!
UPDATE: Salon has a piece saying there is not Gosnell cover-up because when the news first broke in 2011 people covered. it. What the author says is true - I kept Gosnell on my radar because I did hear about it way back in the day. However, as more facts came out and as Gosnell's trial started and continues the media has remained mostly silent. I remember watching OJ being chased by the police. I remember updates on his arrest, time in prison, and the live streaming of Judge Kato's courtroom during OJ's trial. The media did not just report on OJ (or Lindsey Lohan or Parish Hilton or Amanda Knox) when they were first arrested and then said, "There - covered that!" and moved on. NO, they continued to update the population and kept us up-to-date in an almost obnoxious way. I'm not asking for the same coverage as the OJ trial but I think the media should have come back to this story as more information came forward during witness testimony and so forth. So sorry, Irin Carmon, your defense is not good enough.
*UPDATE: I just found an article from March 18,2013 from The New York Timesdiscussing the opening of the Gosnell trial. I am very glad to have found that but as I stated in the above update, the coverage should be ongoing for something like this.
1 - I'm sure you woke up this morning craving some solid country music from the 90's. And so you're welcome. As an aside, it is true that I owned this cassette tape in middle school. It is also true that Steve Gershom mentioned The Mavericks on Twitter a few weeks ago and I felt a little less dorky.
2 - So the last week and a half have been awesome. If you like vomit. Vomit on the laminate floors, vomit in the plastic Easter buckets, vomit in cribs, on the sofa, on the tile floor, on the carpet, in two car seats, on the floor of the van, on the front porch. Poor JF has gone down a diaper size and he seems to be the hardest hit. He spends a lot of time watching tv, laying on the floor, and living in his pajamas. In fact, as a family we pretty much have looked like this every day:
The lone positive is that I've had plenty of stuff to offer up for the Fulwilers. Sunday night JF woke up every hour to dry heave. I felt so bad for my little boy and I'd pray to God, "Please let him get better soon. Unless this is needed for Jen. Then we'll suffer through it so she has a good birth tomorrow. I feel horrible for him, Lord, but please apply our suffering for Jen and her baby." Jennifer Fulwiler, if you're reading this I want you to know that I'm still offering up our suffering for you, Joe, Joseph, and all your kids. You are not alone, friend!
3 - Changing the mood a bit, this is funny.
4 - Saw this...
...and thought, "Good. Stay away from me - you and your dander and tongue and whacking tail that knocks over my toddlers."
It was very different from any kind of bread I've ever made before and I was a little uneasy about the recipe. I wanted to call up Chris Kimball and be like, "Hey Chris. This is Bonnie. Love your show. I'm making your Babka recipe - my husband and I have a subscription to your websites - *love* America's Test Kitchen, by the way. Anyways, the recipe says I'm supposed to put the dough in the fridge and let it rise until doubled. Is that a typo? I thought yeast needed warmth to rise. Did I miss an episode of the show or something?"
Mine doesn't look quite like theirs but overall I'd say it's pretty good for a first attempt:
And oh my goodness does it every taste wonderful. As it should with 10 Tbsp of butter in it.
6 - Last night I was telling my mom how overwhelmed I feel by my kids. It is true that two weeks of puke, excessive laundry, lots of extra tiredness and clinginess from 4 kids all at about the same time, and not being able to go anywhere because my children are sick is really taking its toll. So at least I have a legit reason to feel overwhelmed. I asked her if she remembered feeling overwhelmed by her children and she said, "I don't remember but I'm sure I did." Then she told me a story about my great-great grandmother.
Elizabeth Wernsman had eleven children and raised twelve, and almost all of them were boys (I think I've got that right). One day a neighbor was visiting and, seeing that my great grandpa and his brothers were fighting outside, exclaimed, "Lizzie! Those boys are going to kill each other!" To which my great-great grandma said, "I don't hear anything," and kept about her business.
7 - Thanks, Grace, for hosting this week. I almost didn't speak to you because I'm so jealous that you took a road trip and got to hang out with the likes of Hallie and Rachel. Whatevs. Next time you're driving on I-74 stop by the thriving metropolis of Goodfield, population 700, and my kids will give Julia some tips on using the potty.
1 - Best zombie movie ever. Many thanks to David Ives at B-Movie Catechism for featuring this at Catholic Exchange. In case the link disappears on the blog head over to YouTube and watch Cargo there. You'll be happy you did.
2 - All these blogger babies. Yay for Hallie, Dan, and Charlie! And Yay for Jen, Joe, and Joseph, with lots of prayers for a short NICU stay for Joseph.
3 - Bloglovin'. I love this site way more than I ever liked Google Reader.
4 - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
People who hate Sheen will leave comments on my blog or on articles related to JF's story about how the man was nothing but a self-centered jerk. Ummm... the guy is a huge part of the healing of my son - who should be DEAD - so I don't really care if 60 years ago you met him and thought he was a snob. The fact that all these people go around trying to convince me that Sheen was a jerk says more about them than it does about Sheen. And you can't change my mind - I love Fulton Sheen!
5 - When the other track coaches tell Travis he doesn't have to go to the meet and instead should stay at school and run the practice with the other kids. This means he gets home at 5:30 instead of 9:30. Thank you, dear coaches, for giving me my husband in time for supper and before bedtime.
Last night Travis and I were watching the movie We Bought a Zoo.
I really like this movie. This isn't supposed to be a review, but I do recommend it. Anyways, back to the story I was originally telling:
Travis and I are watching the movie and I notice how Matt looks now. He's in his 40's now and still looks really great, he's just not the skinny, young'un I'm used to seeing.
I turned to Travis and said, "Matt Damon looks really different. He looks more like you than he looks like Jason Bourne... Did that sound insulting?"
1 - Saw this. Loved it. Wanted to share it. (Watch 'em dance - it's so great.)
You also have the option of watching Lennon and Maisy sing Hey Ho from this week's episode of Nashville. It's just as good as The Lumineers. Seriously.
2 - You know what's awesome? When you have all kinds of kids throwing up all over. Awesome.
3 - I'm in a local book club with some other women. Right now we're reading Love and Respect by Emmerson Eggerichs. I'm only through chapter 5 but I find it really interesting. The bottom line is that God asks wives to unconditionally respect their husbands and for husbands to unconditionally love their wives. I have heard of several people whom I know personally whose marriages have greatly benefited from the book. Travis and I have a good marriage and (thanks be to God) were already doing a lot of what the author suggests, but I have still picked up some good suggestions and reminders. Anyone read it?
4 - Anyone else watch Grimm? I love that show. It's a cop show meets the best of Once Upon a Time. Also, it has a fantastic character named Monroe. He's the best friend, a little bit of a nerd, gets also the best lines, and is also a werewolf. You know - normal stuff. Anyways, if you're looking for a new show to check out I suggest Grimm - you can catch episodes on Hulu.
5 - Travis could tell I was having a stressful day and so he called me while I was out by myself and told me he had just moved $200 to the checking account and I could spend it however I wanted or needed. I bought some of this and some of that and the makings of a new outfit that looks like this
6 - I also spent some cash on the kids, getting them new swimsuits for the summer. I was really disappointed at how difficult it was to buy a swimsuit for my almost 5 year old girl. First, I have nothing against two piece suits, in fact I prefer them for L because it makes potty breaks so much easier. However I want a tankini, not a bikini. And I especially don't want a suit like this
As far as I'm concerned the triangle top and ruffles on the breasts are nothing but a flashing sign saying, "Hey pedophiles! Look at me! Look at how my mommy dressed me in this sexy little suit!" Not the message I want to be sending to any person looking at my child.
7 - Aaaaaaand, that's all I've got! Congrats to Hallie! Best wishes to Jen! (And thanks for hosting like always!) Good night to everyone else!
I've found myself talking about Venerable Sheen a lot lately - both in real life and online. There are many people who remember Fulton Sheen from their youth or are familiar with the man through his books and recordings.
But, if you don't know much about Sheen I'd like to encourage you to learn more. The Church doesn't give us saints so we can glorify the canonized person or even God. The Church shows us saints so we have true examples of men and women who sinned and were tempted but who followed Christ and through heroic virtue became truly holy. Scripture tells us that we should "be holy as I am holy" but -wow - does that seem hard. Yet saints can say that and show us how to live, pray, love, and serve so we can say it too.
I believe Fulton Sheen is a saint and I believe he has much to teach us about the love and mercy of God, the beauty of our Faith, and the joy of being Christian. If you'd like to learn more about Sheen I encourage you to do one of the following:
Get amazing, free lessons and crafts to teach your kids about Venerable Sheen at Look to Him and Be Radiant.
Also, the Sheen Foundation produced a wonderful film about Sheen called Servant of All. The trailer is below but if you'd like to order a copy you can do so through the Sheen Foundation website listed above.
I love this bad boy. We got the two speed one, on sale, with our tax refund money. It's been great with soups, whipped potatoes, smoothies, and milkshakes so far and I can't wait to use it this summer when I make fresh marinara sauce with tomatoes from our garden.
Here's a little updatae: I meant to originally say that if anyone is looking for an immersion blender America's Test Kitchen rated KitchenAid the best. We're big ATK fans and so that was all we needed to hear.
Perhaps you saw this image of Pope Francis hugging a boy with cerebral palsy on Easter Sunday. Dominic, the boy, was there with his siblings and parents and his father wrote a beautiful reflection on the encounter with the Holy Father for Catholic Moral Theology.
My favorite part: "Yes, I give much to my son, Dominic. But he gives me more, WAY more. I help him stand and walk, but he shows me how to love. I feed him, but he shows me how to love. I bring him to physical therapy, but he shows me how to love. I stretch his muscles and joke around with him, but he shows me how to love. I lift him in and out of his chair, I wheel him all over the place, but he shows me how to love. I give up my time, so much time, for him, but he shows me how to love."
I cannot let it continue! For all of you who have never had strawberry pretzel salad I must insist that you make it, try it, love it, repeat.
Take it to a church potluck, family reunion, holiday celebration, or make it for Sunday brunch. It's lovely.
I typed up the recipe I use, along with a few notes on things I've learned along the way. You can check it out over at my recipe box blog, the bonnie dinner table.
It was decided just a bit ago that we would host my family for the Easter celebration.
Friday was spent working in the yard - it was finally warm and dry enough for me to cut the dead out of the flowerbeds and let the kids play outside.
Saturday I baked and cleaned and decorated.
Fresh tulips from my husband were put to good use.
Okay, technically I just got this bunny today. It's been at the grocery store all of Lent and I've been waiting for the after Easter sale so I could afford to buy it.
Resa and Mommy got some new sandals.
I volunteered to make dinner rolls for the meal. I used my mom's cinnamon roll recipe, making one dozen cinnamon rolls for Easter morning's breakfast and 2 dozen dinner rolls.
On Holy Saturday Travis had a track meet (he's a coach) but as soon as he got home he lined up the kids and tickled them. It's what happens almost every night - they beg for it.
Then we dyed eggs. I don't have the virtue to do it on my own so we wait for Daddy to do such things.
We like to use white crayons to make designs...
...and we tried a Pinterest trick of adding water to the dye so the color's intensity changed.
Final results.
After Mass we tried to get a good picture of the kids.
We did alright.
Then we tried to get a nice family photo.
We sorta succeeded.
Then it was home for Easter baskets.
We don't do the whole Easter Bunny thing.
Instead I assemble the baskets Holy Saturday night (I did that and painted my nails before I fell asleep watching The Passion. Do I fail as a Catholic? I probably should, because while I was watching it all I could think of was this. Thanks a lot, Mary is My Homegirl.)
Then I hide the baskets for the kids to find.
Ben's was in the bathtub.
JF's was in the credenza, with the DVDs.
L's was tucked into the exersaucer in the kitchen.
Resa got nothing but joy.
After naps and more cleaning the family came over for dinner.
Instead of having people write their names on cups I decorated each one with some Easter-y expression or picture. My mom was the only one who said she liked it, but I thought it was neat.
Dessert included a strawberry pretzel salad pie.
There was really enough of the cream and jello fillings for two pies and next time I'll double the pretzel crust and make two. It was so good, I may have eaten most of it.
After dinner was the egg hunt outside. The kids loved it but
Resa and Travis were happy to wait inside.
Also: A big WELCOME! and a YAY! goes out to my friends Beth and Emily (and her hubby Ben and two kiddos) who joined the Catholic Church this Easter Vigil.
I thought of you both all day on Holy Saturday and have been praying for you for a long time.
Please know that you will continue to be in my prayers and I hope this is a joyful time for you. If things get hard or you're struggling with your faith or the Church's teachings I encourage you to go back and re-read this post and the wonderful comments that follow it. And don't be afraid to share your struggles with your priest, sponsor, and Catholic friends. We want to walk with Christ with you and if we're doing it right we'll all be learning new things about God and our faith for the rest of our lives. In the end, the most important thing to remember is this: God loves you and because He loves you He came to earth, died for your sins, rose from the dead, and established a Church so that you would be able to be with Him for eternity.
Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Funny ending: while looking for a picture of an empty tomb this image came up:
