It's Just My Heartbeep!

I just remembered a very funny moment from when Hannah was 4 years old and I was pregnant with Benny.

2006

We had been feeling the baby move in my tummy. The kids then went downstairs to play. After a few moments, Hannah dashed up the stairs with a very scared look on her face. She said very seriously, "Mommy, I think I'm pregnant something's kicking me in the chest, FEEL this!" I laughed and said, "Oh, Hannah, that's only your heartbeat, you're not pregnant." She said, "Oh good! It's just my heartbeep!"
She almost passed out with relief.

2006

Wonder of a Snowflake

Today it snowed...a little.

The kids had been playing outside and I heard the front door open and close.

Hannah exclaimed, "Come out here, you have got to see this...IT'S AMAZING!!"

She proceeded to show me a tiny snowflake that had landed on her hat perfectly and precisely formed.

She told me she had never noticed them before having so much detail. It was nice to hear such genuine wonder and excitement about the beauty of God's creation.

 A snowflake in it's intricate design is a perfect example of God's great love for us. Who, other than God would take such careful skill and thoughtfulness to give us such loveliness? The snowflake lasts but a moment, but it's beauty remains in our hearts a  reminder of the infinite love of our Creator.

Tiny snowflakes softly fall,

Silent, lovely, beautiful,

All the earth holds such treasures,

Love's epitome of unending measures.

Standing still downy drifting

Breathless wonder espy alighting,

Worthy though I may not be

All this nature deigned for me.

Intricate is His design,

 Art created by Love Divine.

Reasons to Love Lacy

I just love all the free printables found at Catholic Icing!!
The Nativity

 The O Antiphons starts on December 17th.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception Coloring Page.

Pictorial Book of the New Mass Responses.

My kids LOVE this, they have been practicing this afternoon....again;)

Edible Beauty

Is it possible to fall in love with a website?? I think I have found one of the most inspiring websites to date:

The Prudent Homemaker

I especially enjoy the edible landscape post. The garden is a delight!

She has 31 fruit trees, many of them are dwarf trees which don't require as much space and they bear fruit sooner than full grown trees. I love the formal english design of the garden. Don and I were drooling over each photo dreaming of turning our backyard into something similar.

                                            Here are some of the dwarf fruit and citrus trees.

                                   Most all of the flowers are edible, though they don't eat them usually.

Awaiting Joy

Welcome to our home for Christmas!

                                             The Whole World is Waiting for Love!
 Our manger is very old, you can still see some of the prices on the figures' bases marked 10 cents. My Great Grandfather made the creche decades ago. Although it's worldly value would be very little, the heart value is without measure.

Once again, a simple tree decorated with love by the kids.

Last year Charlie received the "deluxe" Little People Nativity, thanks godfather, Jim!

 

 Hannah's village. Some years we put a village under the tree, but we couldn't this year because of little hands, so Hannah put it on her dresser in her room.

Our stockings are hung...it's funny we started out with matching stockings...and then our family grew.....

One last jingle before you go!
Merry Merry Christmas!

Affordable Advent

In addition to our Advent wreath that we finally found hiding in our storage room, here are few affordable things we are doing to prepare our hearts for our Savior.

We cut up strips of yellow construction paper and everytime we do something good, kind, or a sacrifice, we transfer the strips to the crib basket.

Then on Christmas morning, hopefully Baby Jesus will have a soft bed to lay his little head on.

I took one of Hannah's dolls and cut up an old stained off-white t-shirt to make the swaddling clothes.

Finally, one of the kids' favorite traditions is opening the advent chocolate calendar. We found these for $1 each at Dollartree. I hope you have a Blessed Advent!!