So...
We're all still here?
Yep.
Ah well. On with Christmas-prep!
So if you walked into my house at the moment, you'd probably be seized with the irresistible urge to turn around and run away...or maybe to stay and help eat the cookies (just kidding; there are no cookies. There is fudge though. And as all of my IRL friends can tell you, that stuff's addictive).
Right now I've managed to escape to the dining room (the only empty room in the house, for now) and I'm listening to Straight No Chaser's Christmas album over and over again until I feel like jumping back into things. Because right now, I feel like I need something straight with no chaser.
Just kidding.
Maybe.
I'm actually not stressed at all about Christmas prepping this year. We host Christmas every year because in my family, it's customary for the household with the youngest children to host everyone else. And that's always us. ;-) So every year it's a bit of a mad rush (especially if my mom's expecting around this time of year...oy) to get everything ready and make sure there isn't any dirty laundry, bits of fossilized food, or, ya know, embarrassing pieces of everyday life that accumulate in a house with six children. At least we don't have pets, right? :D
And we've actually gotten most of the cleaning done! It's a little nutty right now because we are sooooo close to the finish line, and we're actually a few days early! The relatives won't be here until Sunday, so we are in gooooood shape, my friends.
Of course, one of the littles will probably catch a last-minute cold, freaking out my asthmatic grandmother and great-grandmother (not because my great-grandmother is asthmatic, but because she freaks out when we're sick), and giving my mom a fit of hysteria. But we all have our dreams. ;)
Only 3 more days until Christmas Eve! Do you guys have any special Christmas traditions? Food, decorations, favorite Christmas carols/albums, etc.? :)
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!
~Grace
P.S. I finally got my SAT scores back! And I only have to take it one more time to bring up my math score! *happy dance*
Friday, December 21, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
May they Rest in Peace
I'm sorry I haven't posted lately...Christmas prepping has kicked into high-gear, and we still have half the house to scrub, presents to wrap, and cards to send.
But I wanted to take a minute to ask for prayers for all the families in Connecticut who lost their children last week in the most horrific shooting of our nations history. I can't even imagine what those parents and siblings must be going through right now...to have your young child/brother/sister massacred in their classroom is beyond belief. And for it to happen this close to Christmas....I keep thinking of those 20-some empty stockings hanging there on Christmas morning...
And please pray for the soul of the young man who committed this terrible crime. He above all others needs prayers. He was obviously a very disturbed soul. May God have mercy on him.
Requiscant in pace.
~Grace
But I wanted to take a minute to ask for prayers for all the families in Connecticut who lost their children last week in the most horrific shooting of our nations history. I can't even imagine what those parents and siblings must be going through right now...to have your young child/brother/sister massacred in their classroom is beyond belief. And for it to happen this close to Christmas....I keep thinking of those 20-some empty stockings hanging there on Christmas morning...
And please pray for the soul of the young man who committed this terrible crime. He above all others needs prayers. He was obviously a very disturbed soul. May God have mercy on him.
Requiscant in pace.
~Grace
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Sorry!
I am truly, deeply sorry for the lack of posts recently...I have good excuses though! Things have been crazy...no wait, I use that one all the time. Errmmm....hang on, I'll think of a good one...
Seriously though, things have been rather nutty around here as of late. I've been cramming like crazy for the SAT -- which is this SATURDAY!!! -- and prepping for final speech [insert booming echo effect for "final speech"] for Rhetoric class...I'm supposed to stand and deliver a 10-12 minute speech on a proposition selected from a list of those the professor came up with for us. I think I'm going to pick this one:
"George Washington was a greater President than Abraham Lincoln."
Shouldn't be too hard, right?
So anyways, I will try to post something a little more substantial next week, but keep checking back in case I post something else fascinating over the weekend....like a pointless YouTube video including the Muppets. ;D
*shrugs* Oh what the heck.
(Psst. Disturbed yet? Well, my little brother does a really good impression of the big Muppet with the bunny ears...maybe I'll post a video of THAT sometime in the future...)
Oh yeah! And Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a good one! :)
~Grace
Seriously though, things have been rather nutty around here as of late. I've been cramming like crazy for the SAT -- which is this SATURDAY!!! -- and prepping for final speech [insert booming echo effect for "final speech"] for Rhetoric class...I'm supposed to stand and deliver a 10-12 minute speech on a proposition selected from a list of those the professor came up with for us. I think I'm going to pick this one:
"George Washington was a greater President than Abraham Lincoln."
Shouldn't be too hard, right?
So anyways, I will try to post something a little more substantial next week, but keep checking back in case I post something else fascinating over the weekend....like a pointless YouTube video including the Muppets. ;D
*shrugs* Oh what the heck.
(Psst. Disturbed yet? Well, my little brother does a really good impression of the big Muppet with the bunny ears...maybe I'll post a video of THAT sometime in the future...)
Oh yeah! And Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a good one! :)
~Grace
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Happy Veterans' Day!!
Please remember our fighting men and women overseas and at home -- as well as their families -- in your prayers this evening! They need them now more than ever.
~Grace
~Grace
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
My Post-Election Post
Since it seems to be the thing to do this morning. ;-)
(By the by, did any of you ever feel like this? *points to above image*)
I was talking to a friend last week who said (mockingly) that if the right candidate wins the election, next Sunday's homily will be about Heaven, joy, peace, love, etc. And if the wrong candidate wins, the homily will be about Purgatory.
I'm not sure if he was right or not, but I know it's feeling a little bit like Purgatory. And maybe that's a good thing. A lot of the bloggers I've been following this morning are writing encouraging, stick-it-out posts, and some of them are even quoting "Batman":
"I'm not the hero Gotham City wants...I'm the hero Gotham City deserves..."
Does this apply to our re-elected President? It makes sense. With rampant "tolerance" of homosexuality, divorce, atheism/agnosticism, promiscuity among teens and young adults, and the blood of millions upon millions of murdered children on our hands, who did we expect God to give us? God is a God of mercy, but He is also a God of justice. That's why we have things like Purgatory and Confession. It's so that God (in His infinite mercy and patience) can purify us. But that mercy is only granted when we get down on our knees and beg for it with everything we have.
And right now America is anywhere but on her knees. I once read something by a blogger who said her grandmother used to tell her that you will either get on your knees willingly, or God will put His hand on your head and force you to them.
Well.
We're being forced to our knees right now. And we'd better buckle up, because we haven't hit the ground yet -- not by a long shot. But this is what we need to turn ourselves around because we have shown time and again that we will not repent. And God will not suffer us to continue to affront Him to His Face. As faithful Catholics, all we can do is continue to keep going to Mass as often as possible, try to educate others about the Faith, and pray really, really hard, especially for our priests, bishops, Cardinals, and most importantly the Holy Father. We need to pray that they will recognize the state of the Church and batten down the hatches, and work harder at truly catechizing Catholics.
Get ready. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
~Grace
(By the by, did any of you ever feel like this? *points to above image*)
I was talking to a friend last week who said (mockingly) that if the right candidate wins the election, next Sunday's homily will be about Heaven, joy, peace, love, etc. And if the wrong candidate wins, the homily will be about Purgatory.
I'm not sure if he was right or not, but I know it's feeling a little bit like Purgatory. And maybe that's a good thing. A lot of the bloggers I've been following this morning are writing encouraging, stick-it-out posts, and some of them are even quoting "Batman":
"I'm not the hero Gotham City wants...I'm the hero Gotham City deserves..."
Does this apply to our re-elected President? It makes sense. With rampant "tolerance" of homosexuality, divorce, atheism/agnosticism, promiscuity among teens and young adults, and the blood of millions upon millions of murdered children on our hands, who did we expect God to give us? God is a God of mercy, but He is also a God of justice. That's why we have things like Purgatory and Confession. It's so that God (in His infinite mercy and patience) can purify us. But that mercy is only granted when we get down on our knees and beg for it with everything we have.
And right now America is anywhere but on her knees. I once read something by a blogger who said her grandmother used to tell her that you will either get on your knees willingly, or God will put His hand on your head and force you to them.
Well.
We're being forced to our knees right now. And we'd better buckle up, because we haven't hit the ground yet -- not by a long shot. But this is what we need to turn ourselves around because we have shown time and again that we will not repent. And God will not suffer us to continue to affront Him to His Face. As faithful Catholics, all we can do is continue to keep going to Mass as often as possible, try to educate others about the Faith, and pray really, really hard, especially for our priests, bishops, Cardinals, and most importantly the Holy Father. We need to pray that they will recognize the state of the Church and batten down the hatches, and work harder at truly catechizing Catholics.
Get ready. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
~Grace
Monday, November 5, 2012
Mr. Smith goes to Washington
Back in 1939, two years before WWII, Frank Capra directed a movie called "Mr. Smith goes to Washington." It starred James Stewart as the country-bumpkin-suddenly-become-junior-senator Jefferson Smith.
He was "ghost-appointed" junior senator by a man named Taylor, the infamous mastermind behind the political machine that runs half of the Senate, including Jeff's idol and fellow state Senator, Mr. Joe Pain.
Mr. Smith knows next to nothing about the political game, which is why he was appointed in the first place: to be a stooge for Taylor and his lackeys. To be an extra vote for whatever they want to be passed.
The first thing Mr. Smith does when he eventually gets to Washington is take tour. He's so much in awe of the history and the great men surrounding him that he can barely remember his own name. But he soon learns of a bill being presented to the senate which contains a graft (an illegal profit). In the face of this political corruption, one would think a man so obviously out of his league would just keep his mouth shut and go along with it, because after all, what does he know?
He doesn't. He gets up in front of the entire Senate and tries to expose the Taylor Machine for what it is. But Senator Pain, in a panic that his political career will be destroyed if his part in the bill comes out, instead paints Jeff as a criminal, and nearly forces him out of the Senate. But at the last moment, Jeff takes advantage of a rule allowing him to stay on the floor as long as he stays on his feet and keeps talking without stopping for a moment other than to take questions.
He does this for almost 24 hours straight, because he believes that the people from his state will support him and bring forth evidence against the Taylor Machine. In the end they do, but it is Jeff's amazing struggle against the powers that be in the American government that makes the movie completely amazing. His willingness to stand up even when everyone else is telling him to sit down because he can never win. They're telling him the battle is lost. But as he says several times in the movie: "The only causes worth fighting for are the ones that are lost." If you haven't seen this movie before, PLEASE go watch it right now. It is one of the best movies ever.
And it is extremely fitting for the election being held tomorrow. Mitt Romney is far from a country bumpkin, but Obama could have been cast as Taylor in a remake of the movie.
And in the face of this seemingly insuperable obstacle that is the Obama Machine, one wonders (especially as a first-time-voter like myself) if your vote will count for anything. You wonder if it will make any difference in the long run. Sure, you're going to vote anyway, but at the same time you're filled with a despair and a horrible knowledge that in spite of your vote, Obama will win anyway.
But that's not the way it works. Firstly, God will know which way you voted, and that will be recorded for eternity.
Secondly, your vote matters because you voted. At first this may seem kind of stupidly self-evident, but what I mean is that it's the fact that you voted that counts. It's the fact that you cared enough to vote. It's the fact that you are fighting. It's the fact that you are trying your best, and that's the best you can do.
And it's the fact that America is millions of "you's" who will get up in the morning and vote for the right person, no matter how many people in the media, or their parish, or their family are telling them to sit back down, to shut up, and to just go along with it because we are country bumpkins and we couldn't possibly understand.
But they're wrong. And we will stand up and have our say, even if we have to keep standing and talking for another four years. Because everyone has labeled our cause as lost. And there are no causes more worth fighting for than those that are lost.
~Grace
He was "ghost-appointed" junior senator by a man named Taylor, the infamous mastermind behind the political machine that runs half of the Senate, including Jeff's idol and fellow state Senator, Mr. Joe Pain.
Mr. Smith knows next to nothing about the political game, which is why he was appointed in the first place: to be a stooge for Taylor and his lackeys. To be an extra vote for whatever they want to be passed.
The first thing Mr. Smith does when he eventually gets to Washington is take tour. He's so much in awe of the history and the great men surrounding him that he can barely remember his own name. But he soon learns of a bill being presented to the senate which contains a graft (an illegal profit). In the face of this political corruption, one would think a man so obviously out of his league would just keep his mouth shut and go along with it, because after all, what does he know?
He doesn't. He gets up in front of the entire Senate and tries to expose the Taylor Machine for what it is. But Senator Pain, in a panic that his political career will be destroyed if his part in the bill comes out, instead paints Jeff as a criminal, and nearly forces him out of the Senate. But at the last moment, Jeff takes advantage of a rule allowing him to stay on the floor as long as he stays on his feet and keeps talking without stopping for a moment other than to take questions.
He does this for almost 24 hours straight, because he believes that the people from his state will support him and bring forth evidence against the Taylor Machine. In the end they do, but it is Jeff's amazing struggle against the powers that be in the American government that makes the movie completely amazing. His willingness to stand up even when everyone else is telling him to sit down because he can never win. They're telling him the battle is lost. But as he says several times in the movie: "The only causes worth fighting for are the ones that are lost." If you haven't seen this movie before, PLEASE go watch it right now. It is one of the best movies ever.
And it is extremely fitting for the election being held tomorrow. Mitt Romney is far from a country bumpkin, but Obama could have been cast as Taylor in a remake of the movie.
And in the face of this seemingly insuperable obstacle that is the Obama Machine, one wonders (especially as a first-time-voter like myself) if your vote will count for anything. You wonder if it will make any difference in the long run. Sure, you're going to vote anyway, but at the same time you're filled with a despair and a horrible knowledge that in spite of your vote, Obama will win anyway.
But that's not the way it works. Firstly, God will know which way you voted, and that will be recorded for eternity.
Secondly, your vote matters because you voted. At first this may seem kind of stupidly self-evident, but what I mean is that it's the fact that you voted that counts. It's the fact that you cared enough to vote. It's the fact that you are fighting. It's the fact that you are trying your best, and that's the best you can do.
And it's the fact that America is millions of "you's" who will get up in the morning and vote for the right person, no matter how many people in the media, or their parish, or their family are telling them to sit back down, to shut up, and to just go along with it because we are country bumpkins and we couldn't possibly understand.
But they're wrong. And we will stand up and have our say, even if we have to keep standing and talking for another four years. Because everyone has labeled our cause as lost. And there are no causes more worth fighting for than those that are lost.
~Grace
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
And this is crazy, but here's my novel...
So NaNo, Maybe?
Hey y'all, sorry for the lack of posting...the AC adapter to my laptop broke (*shudders from the memory*), so I've had to (try to) use the family computer in the meanwhile.
But now, I'm back! I have a new AC adapter! Aren't you happy for me? I know I am.
And now, it's almost the end of October! How did that happen? I accomplished maybe (n)one of my goals for this month...ah well. Better luck when I'm 82.
But there are more important things to worry about! College applications! Thousands of essay scholarship contests! SAT prep for December and January!
AND NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH. *cue dramatic orchestra blast*
That's right, November is the month of madness, where Wrimo's everywhere beat their brains into a throbbing pulp (ewwww....) in order to put 50,000 words of a novel onto paper. Or screen. Somewhere.
I have done this for the past three years, so somehow it doesn't seem quite right to miss out this year. But do I have time??
I hope so.
Because, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, I'm going to go for it.
So call me crazy. ;)
~Grace
P.S. I will be writing another post for a few days from now about a rather dramatic change in my plans for after college. *rolls eyes* I guess I did it again...
P.P.S. I bet you're wondering why I'm using so many song references in this post. The answer is...because I feel like it. ;)
Hey y'all, sorry for the lack of posting...the AC adapter to my laptop broke (*shudders from the memory*), so I've had to (try to) use the family computer in the meanwhile.
But now, I'm back! I have a new AC adapter! Aren't you happy for me? I know I am.
And now, it's almost the end of October! How did that happen? I accomplished maybe (n)one of my goals for this month...ah well. Better luck when I'm 82.
But there are more important things to worry about! College applications! Thousands of essay scholarship contests! SAT prep for December and January!
AND NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH. *cue dramatic orchestra blast*
That's right, November is the month of madness, where Wrimo's everywhere beat their brains into a throbbing pulp (ewwww....) in order to put 50,000 words of a novel onto paper. Or screen. Somewhere.
I have done this for the past three years, so somehow it doesn't seem quite right to miss out this year. But do I have time??
I hope so.
Because, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness or in health, I'm going to go for it.
So call me crazy. ;)
~Grace
P.S. I will be writing another post for a few days from now about a rather dramatic change in my plans for after college. *rolls eyes* I guess I did it again...
P.P.S. I bet you're wondering why I'm using so many song references in this post. The answer is...because I feel like it. ;)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Artsy Award!!!
So an award was recently bestowed on me 'umble blog by the gracious Rose M. of "The Golden Road"!
Thank you so much, Rose! :D
Here are the questions that go with...
1.) Skirts or Jeans?
I have to say it depends on whether I'm babysitting or just hanging out at home. If the latter, I have this uuber-comfy long skirt that I wear a lot. But if I plan on having to run after small children or get down on the floor into positions in which wearing a skirt would prove disadvantageous, then I wear jeans or capris.
2.) Cats or Dogs?
Both! I love animals. Both are a lot of fun for different reasons. But if I were planning on buying or adopting one at the moment, I would have to say a cat, because they aren't as high maintenance. I wouldn't have time to walk a dog right now, unfortunately.
3.) Cows or Horses?
Horses! Cows are sweet, but...I don't know. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for horses. :)
4.) Wood floors or carpet?
Wood floors, definitely! Sock-sliding! XD But they're just so much better-looking. Plus they're so much easier to clean. ;)
5.) Rain or Sun?
Either or. I love it when it's sunny because then I can go outside to do schoolwork. But I also love it when it's rainy because then I can stay inside and enjoy being cozy. Or, if I have free time I go outside in the rain and get soaking wet just for the fun of it. ;)
Now for the 5 tags...I tag:
The Ninja at Craft Ninja
Little Mac at Interstellar Mac (sorry y'all, she has a private blog)
Mae at Imaginations of a Princess
Little Red Writing Hood at Inkling
Emily at Emily in the Real World
Thanks again, Rose M.!!!! :D
~Grace
Thank you so much, Rose! :D
Here are the questions that go with...
1.) Skirts or Jeans?
I have to say it depends on whether I'm babysitting or just hanging out at home. If the latter, I have this uuber-comfy long skirt that I wear a lot. But if I plan on having to run after small children or get down on the floor into positions in which wearing a skirt would prove disadvantageous, then I wear jeans or capris.
2.) Cats or Dogs?
Both! I love animals. Both are a lot of fun for different reasons. But if I were planning on buying or adopting one at the moment, I would have to say a cat, because they aren't as high maintenance. I wouldn't have time to walk a dog right now, unfortunately.
3.) Cows or Horses?
Horses! Cows are sweet, but...I don't know. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for horses. :)
4.) Wood floors or carpet?
Wood floors, definitely! Sock-sliding! XD But they're just so much better-looking. Plus they're so much easier to clean. ;)
5.) Rain or Sun?
Either or. I love it when it's sunny because then I can go outside to do schoolwork. But I also love it when it's rainy because then I can stay inside and enjoy being cozy. Or, if I have free time I go outside in the rain and get soaking wet just for the fun of it. ;)
Now for the 5 tags...I tag:
The Ninja at Craft Ninja
Little Mac at Interstellar Mac (sorry y'all, she has a private blog)
Mae at Imaginations of a Princess
Little Red Writing Hood at Inkling
Emily at Emily in the Real World
Thanks again, Rose M.!!!! :D
~Grace
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
October is here!
Wow! Y'all get two posts in the space of a week! Don't you feel lucky? ;-)
I'm very excited that it's finally October (even though I feel like this year can't possibly be going by this fast, and I'm only dreaming and I'll wake up soon and it will still be April)! It seems like it is now officially Fall, which happens to be my favorite season. The cool weather, the colors of the changing leaves, Thanksgiving, all of it! I love it!
But I have decided I'm going to spoil the fun by making myself achieve some goals by the end of this month. And I've decided to post those goals on here so that I feel like somebody is keeping tabs on me because honestly, that's the only way I can get anything done.
So! Here are my lofty ambitions for the month of October:
#1: Finish editing "Chosen". Some of you may remember this book as the one I wrote two years ago during NaNoWriMo, but still haven't made more than a few tentative and half-hearted stabs at editing. So this month, I'm actually going to do it! Inspiration has struck! I WILL have this book edited and up for sale by November! *nods firmly* Another reason I'm doing this to make up for missing NaNoWriMo next month. :'(
#2: Drink more water. Okay, what? How did we get from dreams of writer-dom to a simple health tip? Well, here's the thing. I've found myself going for days where the only liquids I consume (is that the word I'm looking for?) consist of 2-3 cups of coffee, 1/2 a cup of milk in the morning, and 1 glass of water at dinnertime (and sometimes I don't finish the water). That's it for the whole day. So I think unless I want to dehydrate to death, I need to start carrying a water-bottle around. Plus I've found that drinking more water keeps me more alert. So it's a win-win situation. ;-)
#3: Exercise! Even if it's nothing more than a couple sit-ups and push-ups every morning, I feel so much better when I engage in something physically challenging daily. I mean, something other than chasing small children around.
#4: Work on getting rid of one item from my confession lists. Because I'm getting tired of confessing the same things over and over....and over again. :P And I'm sure God is getting tired of hearing the same things over and over...and over again. :P :P
#5: Finish Algebra 2! Surprisingly, this is the one goal I actually feel confident I can accomplish. Don't ask me why though. I might start doubting. ;-)
So there you have it! Do you have any goals for this month?
I'm very excited that it's finally October (even though I feel like this year can't possibly be going by this fast, and I'm only dreaming and I'll wake up soon and it will still be April)! It seems like it is now officially Fall, which happens to be my favorite season. The cool weather, the colors of the changing leaves, Thanksgiving, all of it! I love it!
But I have decided I'm going to spoil the fun by making myself achieve some goals by the end of this month. And I've decided to post those goals on here so that I feel like somebody is keeping tabs on me because honestly, that's the only way I can get anything done.
So! Here are my lofty ambitions for the month of October:
#1: Finish editing "Chosen". Some of you may remember this book as the one I wrote two years ago during NaNoWriMo, but still haven't made more than a few tentative and half-hearted stabs at editing. So this month, I'm actually going to do it! Inspiration has struck! I WILL have this book edited and up for sale by November! *nods firmly* Another reason I'm doing this to make up for missing NaNoWriMo next month. :'(
#2: Drink more water. Okay, what? How did we get from dreams of writer-dom to a simple health tip? Well, here's the thing. I've found myself going for days where the only liquids I consume (is that the word I'm looking for?) consist of 2-3 cups of coffee, 1/2 a cup of milk in the morning, and 1 glass of water at dinnertime (and sometimes I don't finish the water). That's it for the whole day. So I think unless I want to dehydrate to death, I need to start carrying a water-bottle around. Plus I've found that drinking more water keeps me more alert. So it's a win-win situation. ;-)
#3: Exercise! Even if it's nothing more than a couple sit-ups and push-ups every morning, I feel so much better when I engage in something physically challenging daily. I mean, something other than chasing small children around.
#4: Work on getting rid of one item from my confession lists. Because I'm getting tired of confessing the same things over and over....and over again. :P And I'm sure God is getting tired of hearing the same things over and over...and over again. :P :P
#5: Finish Algebra 2! Surprisingly, this is the one goal I actually feel confident I can accomplish. Don't ask me why though. I might start doubting. ;-)
So there you have it! Do you have any goals for this month?
Friday, September 28, 2012
Side Effects May Harm Some Family Members
In today's culture it seems to be a truth universally accepted that young women have to go to college, and afterwards get career jobs that will enable them to rise to positions of power in society, because women are just as capable of running a successful business as men are.
Just to clarify, I'm not saying that women can't run a business just as well as men. I'm not saying that they can. And I'm not saying that women shouldn't go to college. I think the fact that women are able to go to college and get as much education as they want is a wonderful thing. All I want to talk about in this post is the repercussions a working mom's career has on her family.
Women are designed to have children, and to raise them. That is why we are more emotional, nurturing, and protective than men. We are better equipped to deal with day-to-day family life than men are. That is where our main skill set lies. Traditionally, men were the bread-winners of the family, and the women were the caretakers of the home and educators of the children. Up until the Industrial Revolution, that is (but the Industrial Revolution is a post for another day).
But in our "modern-thinking", feminist-idealogy-driven times, it is commendable for women to find work right out of college. Career jobs, at that. It is unthinkable to most of society that any woman would not want a career job, or would not consider marriage to be a career job (by the way, ask any married gal you know if they would consider marriage and/or raising a family to be a full-time job. I bet you I can tell you what their answer will be).
But in all this pressure to get high-paying, successful jobs, we tend to lose sight of something much more important. We as women have the unique gift of being able to have children, and to raise and educate them much better than a man could. We are the ones who hold the family together.
I don't know how many times I have heard priests give homilies on the different roles of family members. I'm sure you've all heard some variation of this idea: the father is the "head" of the family, the one who makes the decisions and provides for the rest of the "body" that is the family. And the mother is the "heart" of the family, the caretaker and nurturer. The mother is the one who the kids go to when they are having trouble. She is the one who resolves sibling squabbles. She is the one the kids go to when they want something, and then the mom goes to the dad, because she is the one who can soften him up. She is the one who will sit and listen for the next forty-five minutes while the five-year-old retells his latest dream that doesn't even really make sense because he tells it in such a mixed-up, confusing way that makes you wonder if he even really understands what he's saying. She's the one who has the patience to explain that geometry problem to her highschooler over and over and over again, yea, even unto dinner time when the rest of the children are ravenously hungry so that they threaten to eat each other, and yet there is no food on the table. And she is the one who then takes all the children out to McDonalds, amid much cheering and vows of eternal love and gratitude from the backseat.
But we all know what happens if you take the heart out of the body. The body dies. The same principle applies to the family. If you take the mom out of the family life, away from the duties which should be hers, there is no one to fill the vacuum that is left and the family grows more and more distant from each other. In a sense, it dies.
This is what being a working mom means. And you may be thinking "but Grace, you're being paranoid. Now really, you're taking this too seriously."
Am I? Take a step back for a minute and look around. How many problems infect our society today? How many could be prevented if all homes had a good mother in them, taking care of them? People always talk about the ill-effects of not having a father around the house. But nobody ever mentions the harm that comes to a family without a mother.
I have been able to observe the children that come from a family where the mom is "stay-at-home", and I have been able to observe children that come from a family where the mom goes to work everyday. And the differences in the way the children interact not only with their siblings, but the way they view the world is very different, and not so much for the better.
I'm may not be a psychology expert, and I don't pretend to know each different family's situation when it comes to needing the extra income. And I'm not saying that a mom can't work from home, if that's what she wants to do. All I'm saying is my observations lead me to the conclusion that a family where the mom is present and accessible to her spouse and children at any and all times is a much happier and much more prosperous family.
If y'all have any thoughts on this subject, I'd love to hear 'em! :D
~Grace
Just to clarify, I'm not saying that women can't run a business just as well as men. I'm not saying that they can. And I'm not saying that women shouldn't go to college. I think the fact that women are able to go to college and get as much education as they want is a wonderful thing. All I want to talk about in this post is the repercussions a working mom's career has on her family.
Women are designed to have children, and to raise them. That is why we are more emotional, nurturing, and protective than men. We are better equipped to deal with day-to-day family life than men are. That is where our main skill set lies. Traditionally, men were the bread-winners of the family, and the women were the caretakers of the home and educators of the children. Up until the Industrial Revolution, that is (but the Industrial Revolution is a post for another day).
But in our "modern-thinking", feminist-idealogy-driven times, it is commendable for women to find work right out of college. Career jobs, at that. It is unthinkable to most of society that any woman would not want a career job, or would not consider marriage to be a career job (by the way, ask any married gal you know if they would consider marriage and/or raising a family to be a full-time job. I bet you I can tell you what their answer will be).
But in all this pressure to get high-paying, successful jobs, we tend to lose sight of something much more important. We as women have the unique gift of being able to have children, and to raise and educate them much better than a man could. We are the ones who hold the family together.
I don't know how many times I have heard priests give homilies on the different roles of family members. I'm sure you've all heard some variation of this idea: the father is the "head" of the family, the one who makes the decisions and provides for the rest of the "body" that is the family. And the mother is the "heart" of the family, the caretaker and nurturer. The mother is the one who the kids go to when they are having trouble. She is the one who resolves sibling squabbles. She is the one the kids go to when they want something, and then the mom goes to the dad, because she is the one who can soften him up. She is the one who will sit and listen for the next forty-five minutes while the five-year-old retells his latest dream that doesn't even really make sense because he tells it in such a mixed-up, confusing way that makes you wonder if he even really understands what he's saying. She's the one who has the patience to explain that geometry problem to her highschooler over and over and over again, yea, even unto dinner time when the rest of the children are ravenously hungry so that they threaten to eat each other, and yet there is no food on the table. And she is the one who then takes all the children out to McDonalds, amid much cheering and vows of eternal love and gratitude from the backseat.
But we all know what happens if you take the heart out of the body. The body dies. The same principle applies to the family. If you take the mom out of the family life, away from the duties which should be hers, there is no one to fill the vacuum that is left and the family grows more and more distant from each other. In a sense, it dies.
This is what being a working mom means. And you may be thinking "but Grace, you're being paranoid. Now really, you're taking this too seriously."
Am I? Take a step back for a minute and look around. How many problems infect our society today? How many could be prevented if all homes had a good mother in them, taking care of them? People always talk about the ill-effects of not having a father around the house. But nobody ever mentions the harm that comes to a family without a mother.
I have been able to observe the children that come from a family where the mom is "stay-at-home", and I have been able to observe children that come from a family where the mom goes to work everyday. And the differences in the way the children interact not only with their siblings, but the way they view the world is very different, and not so much for the better.
I'm may not be a psychology expert, and I don't pretend to know each different family's situation when it comes to needing the extra income. And I'm not saying that a mom can't work from home, if that's what she wants to do. All I'm saying is my observations lead me to the conclusion that a family where the mom is present and accessible to her spouse and children at any and all times is a much happier and much more prosperous family.
If y'all have any thoughts on this subject, I'd love to hear 'em! :D
~Grace
Monday, September 24, 2012
This Makes Me Happy
One of my favorite videos ever. My favorite characters, performing my favorite song, by one of my favorite bands.
It just doesn't get any better than this.
~Grace
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I'll Think of a Good Title Later On...
I sincerely apologize for the absence of new posts over the past couple of weeks. Things have been kind of crazy, getting a school-schedule set up and getting everyone into the habit of sticking to the afore-mentioned school-schedule.
A couple new things going on...I am now a registered voter in Virginia! Happy days! I would be excited, except for the overwhelming feeling that my vote will probably not make any difference whatsoever. I guess I'm voting for Romney-Ryan,but really I don't see how they can win. And call me a conspiracy-theorist, but I honestly believe the current administration will pull some crisis out of their hat (like a war with the Middle East?) to postpone the elections, and then grant themselves emergency powers. You know, like what happened here:
"For a safer, and more secure society..."
*cough*
Before I'm branded a domestic terrorist...
In other news, next month is the Northern Virginia Buddy Walk to raise money for Downs Syndrome research! So if you'd like to donate to my team, here's the link.
School is going really well. Math/Latin/Rhetoric are all coming along quite nicely. I finally got my missing paycheck. Everything's fine and dandy. So I don't know why I should be...eh, never mind.
Hope y'all have a good week!
~Grace
A couple new things going on...I am now a registered voter in Virginia! Happy days! I would be excited, except for the overwhelming feeling that my vote will probably not make any difference whatsoever. I guess I'm voting for Romney-Ryan,but really I don't see how they can win. And call me a conspiracy-theorist, but I honestly believe the current administration will pull some crisis out of their hat (like a war with the Middle East?) to postpone the elections, and then grant themselves emergency powers. You know, like what happened here:
"For a safer, and more secure society..."
*cough*
Before I'm branded a domestic terrorist...
In other news, next month is the Northern Virginia Buddy Walk to raise money for Downs Syndrome research! So if you'd like to donate to my team, here's the link.
School is going really well. Math/Latin/Rhetoric are all coming along quite nicely. I finally got my missing paycheck. Everything's fine and dandy. So I don't know why I should be...eh, never mind.
Hope y'all have a good week!
~Grace
Saturday, September 1, 2012
*throws confetti around the room*
I have been accepted at FisherMore as a part-time online student!! And I enrolled in Rhetoric, and got my books, and my syllabus, and tested my sound/video for Webex (the classroom provider...Mae, you oughta remember that from Latin, eh?? ;)), and I'm just so darn excited!!!!
Classes start next Wednesday (well my class, anyways...everything else starts Monday), and this course is going to be sooo rigorous. So prayers are appreciated. ;D
College! I love college! Drinks for everyone! :D
~Grace
Classes start next Wednesday (well my class, anyways...everything else starts Monday), and this course is going to be sooo rigorous. So prayers are appreciated. ;D
College! I love college! Drinks for everyone! :D
~Grace
Somebody goofed...
Oh the joys.
One of the great things about being paid on a Medicaid waiver is that I make over $10/hour. The bad thing about being paid on a Medicaid waiver is that it means the state of Virginia is paying me (and every other attendant on this particular waiver who works in Virginia).
Which means they have a lot of paperwork to shuffle everyday (the poor little dears).
Which means that sometimes they lose the paperwork that they need to issue my paycheck.
Which means I don't get my paycheck.
Which means no piano lessons or college courses!
Now, I usually try to avoid (sometimes at all costs) talking on the phone, unless I know the other person really well, because so many people mumble! And it drives me nuts because then I can't understand them. Huff. Plus I feel like an email is less intrusive? Because then they can get to it at their convenience (aren't I a nice person? ;D).
However.
The niceness ends when you don't pay me.
Just kidding. I don't send out the ninja monkeys. But when I call you to ask what the heck happened to my paperwork, I expect you to be able to give me a clear answer.
Girl at agency: Hi! How can I help you today?
Me: Hi, I'm just calling to ask about a missing paycheck? It was supposed to have been sent out two weeks ago, but I still haven't gotten it.
Girl: *sounding slightly confused* Umm...hang on just a second, let me check our records...*sound of clicking/typing in the background* I have a record of a check right here that is good to pay for this Friday? It's for 6.2 hours, is that correct?
Me: *thinking* that sounds right...*saying* Is it respite care?
Girl: Yes.
Me: There should be an attendant one too...
Girl: Ummm....I don't see one. I would just submit that one again.
Me: *thinking* Uhhh...okay? *saying* Alright...are you sure you don't see it?
Girl: Yeah I don't see it anywhere.
So I get off the phone, my computer FINALLY decides to load the webpage that shows all of my timesheets, and I realize she was looking at the WRONG consumer! *bangs head against keyboard* So I had to call her back.
Long story short, she stopped the payment on the old check and issued me a new one, which should be here Monday. But really. How hard is it to write a check and mail it to somebody??
~Grace
One of the great things about being paid on a Medicaid waiver is that I make over $10/hour. The bad thing about being paid on a Medicaid waiver is that it means the state of Virginia is paying me (and every other attendant on this particular waiver who works in Virginia).
Which means they have a lot of paperwork to shuffle everyday (the poor little dears).
Which means that sometimes they lose the paperwork that they need to issue my paycheck.
Which means I don't get my paycheck.
Which means no piano lessons or college courses!
Now, I usually try to avoid (sometimes at all costs) talking on the phone, unless I know the other person really well, because so many people mumble! And it drives me nuts because then I can't understand them. Huff. Plus I feel like an email is less intrusive? Because then they can get to it at their convenience (aren't I a nice person? ;D).
However.
The niceness ends when you don't pay me.
Just kidding. I don't send out the ninja monkeys. But when I call you to ask what the heck happened to my paperwork, I expect you to be able to give me a clear answer.
Girl at agency: Hi! How can I help you today?
Me: Hi, I'm just calling to ask about a missing paycheck? It was supposed to have been sent out two weeks ago, but I still haven't gotten it.
Girl: *sounding slightly confused* Umm...hang on just a second, let me check our records...*sound of clicking/typing in the background* I have a record of a check right here that is good to pay for this Friday? It's for 6.2 hours, is that correct?
Me: *thinking* that sounds right...*saying* Is it respite care?
Girl: Yes.
Me: There should be an attendant one too...
Girl: Ummm....I don't see one. I would just submit that one again.
Me: *thinking* Uhhh...okay? *saying* Alright...are you sure you don't see it?
Girl: Yeah I don't see it anywhere.
So I get off the phone, my computer FINALLY decides to load the webpage that shows all of my timesheets, and I realize she was looking at the WRONG consumer! *bangs head against keyboard* So I had to call her back.
Long story short, she stopped the payment on the old check and issued me a new one, which should be here Monday. But really. How hard is it to write a check and mail it to somebody??
~Grace
Monday, August 13, 2012
IT'S SENIOR YEAR, Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started the first day of my senior year of highschool today!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D
Notice, I said started, not finished.
Yeah, I still have some stuff to do this evening, but the point is, I'm on my way!! It feels soooo good to be finally on a schedule, and have the end in sight! And I have such cool courses I get to take...the first week of my Advanced American Government and Economics is spent reading St. Thomas Aquinas!!! *sighs ecstatically* MODG is so cool. :D
And really all I have to catch up on is arithmetic....before October. :P So prayers would be greatly appreciated. ;-)
But despite the crazy amount of math, I have a sneaking suspicion this year is going to be AMAZING. I'm not sure why. I suppose I'll have to wait and find out. :-)
So who else has started school yet? If not, when are you starting?
~Grace
Notice, I said started, not finished.
Yeah, I still have some stuff to do this evening, but the point is, I'm on my way!! It feels soooo good to be finally on a schedule, and have the end in sight! And I have such cool courses I get to take...the first week of my Advanced American Government and Economics is spent reading St. Thomas Aquinas!!! *sighs ecstatically* MODG is so cool. :D
And really all I have to catch up on is arithmetic....before October. :P So prayers would be greatly appreciated. ;-)
But despite the crazy amount of math, I have a sneaking suspicion this year is going to be AMAZING. I'm not sure why. I suppose I'll have to wait and find out. :-)
So who else has started school yet? If not, when are you starting?
~Grace
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Please pray...
Well this week went by like a run-away train! Has anyone else noticed (and been slightly unsettled by the fact) that time seems to be flying by unusually quickly? I hope it's not just me, because if this is the case, I might have bigger issues than I thought. ;-)
I finished my last day as a full-time attendant for my Down Syndrome little guy (*sniffles/sobs*), but like I said, I'll still be working as a respite-care provider for him (translated: part-time attendant). And I started working with Little Guy this past Thursday/Friday! (Sorry bud, I promise I'll come up with a better nickname for you soon). He's sooooooo sweet!!!! I'd be perfectly happy just to sit in on the couch and cuddle him for the entire time I'm over there. But I learned some therapy techniques with him, and gave him a bath and took him for a walk, and sang and read a TON of books. Nice work, if you can get it. ;-)
Some not-so-nice news we got this week concerns my other "family" -- the one I've been working for for the past three years -- and their little girl. We had been suspecting that she was somewhere on the autism spectrum for a long time now, but she was just officially diagnosed with autism this past Friday. It wasn't a huge shock, but the announcement was still hard to deal with, especially for her mom. I felt worse for her more than for the little girl, because I feel like now that we know for sure, we can start looking at ways to help her. So if y'all could say a quick prayer for her and her family as they try to figure things out, I would much appreciate it. :-)
And because I haven't practiced piano AT ALL this week, (except for at Izzy's this morning...but that wasn't really practice, since it was all "Phantom of the Opera" music..teehee!) that's what I'm going to do now. Hope y'all have a great weekend!
~Grace
I finished my last day as a full-time attendant for my Down Syndrome little guy (*sniffles/sobs*), but like I said, I'll still be working as a respite-care provider for him (translated: part-time attendant). And I started working with Little Guy this past Thursday/Friday! (Sorry bud, I promise I'll come up with a better nickname for you soon). He's sooooooo sweet!!!! I'd be perfectly happy just to sit in on the couch and cuddle him for the entire time I'm over there. But I learned some therapy techniques with him, and gave him a bath and took him for a walk, and sang and read a TON of books. Nice work, if you can get it. ;-)
Some not-so-nice news we got this week concerns my other "family" -- the one I've been working for for the past three years -- and their little girl. We had been suspecting that she was somewhere on the autism spectrum for a long time now, but she was just officially diagnosed with autism this past Friday. It wasn't a huge shock, but the announcement was still hard to deal with, especially for her mom. I felt worse for her more than for the little girl, because I feel like now that we know for sure, we can start looking at ways to help her. So if y'all could say a quick prayer for her and her family as they try to figure things out, I would much appreciate it. :-)
And because I haven't practiced piano AT ALL this week, (except for at Izzy's this morning...but that wasn't really practice, since it was all "Phantom of the Opera" music..teehee!) that's what I'm going to do now. Hope y'all have a great weekend!
~Grace
Monday, August 6, 2012
I promise not to cough on you...
Sneezes, however, are an entirely different matter.
So, this weekend we've all been fighting off a cold. One of the few disadvantages to being part of a large family is the length of time it takes any illness to completely run its course. Once one of us has it, the rest of us just have to wait with bated breath (sometimes literally, in the mad hope that we don't catch it) for our turn to hog the couch all to ourselves and drink gallons of Theraflu (or peppermint tea, if you're under twelve).
Occasionally we'll get lucky and somehow manage to get through it without it escalating to full-on-epidemic status. But not this time. Another bummer is the fact that I didn't get to start my job with Little Guy this past Thursday/Friday since he isn't able to be around any kind of cold/flu/etc. :-(
Aaaannnnndddd.........
My parents are gone. As in, not home. For the first time in our lives (well, since I was four), my parents have gone on a road-trip!!!!!!! By themselves!!!! I'm very excited for them, because they rarely get a chance to have more than forty-five minutes of uninterrupted together-ness at any given time. And their destination is the home of my godparents, whom they haven't seen in over a year and a half. My godparents were my parents best friends in college, and somehow they've managed to stay in touch over the past twenty-odd years, despite differing lifestyles, so it's good they're having a chance to hang out with them.
However, that means I somehow have to figure out how to keep four cranky, coughing and croaking children from eating each other (or me) for the next 36 hours. So far they've been content just to lie about and watch TV/movies. So I'll probably be posting quite a few movie reviews later this week. ;-) I've had some in the works since I got back from Hannah's, though, so it'll be a bit of a movie-review-dump. I apologize. ;-) I bought the movie "Rio" to watch this evening as a surprise, but I've never seen it before, so I'm hoping it's good. It IS rated "G," which is promising in and of itself, considering most children's movies these days are a solid "PG." I'll let you know how it turns out. ;-)
Right now it sounds like "Curious George" is on, so I think I'll just go back to watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries (on YouTube: check them out if you haven't already!!!!) and drinking Theraflu. Have a good Monday!!
~Grace
So, this weekend we've all been fighting off a cold. One of the few disadvantages to being part of a large family is the length of time it takes any illness to completely run its course. Once one of us has it, the rest of us just have to wait with bated breath (sometimes literally, in the mad hope that we don't catch it) for our turn to hog the couch all to ourselves and drink gallons of Theraflu (or peppermint tea, if you're under twelve).
Occasionally we'll get lucky and somehow manage to get through it without it escalating to full-on-epidemic status. But not this time. Another bummer is the fact that I didn't get to start my job with Little Guy this past Thursday/Friday since he isn't able to be around any kind of cold/flu/etc. :-(
Aaaannnnndddd.........
My parents are gone. As in, not home. For the first time in our lives (well, since I was four), my parents have gone on a road-trip!!!!!!! By themselves!!!! I'm very excited for them, because they rarely get a chance to have more than forty-five minutes of uninterrupted together-ness at any given time. And their destination is the home of my godparents, whom they haven't seen in over a year and a half. My godparents were my parents best friends in college, and somehow they've managed to stay in touch over the past twenty-odd years, despite differing lifestyles, so it's good they're having a chance to hang out with them.
However, that means I somehow have to figure out how to keep four cranky, coughing and croaking children from eating each other (or me) for the next 36 hours. So far they've been content just to lie about and watch TV/movies. So I'll probably be posting quite a few movie reviews later this week. ;-) I've had some in the works since I got back from Hannah's, though, so it'll be a bit of a movie-review-dump. I apologize. ;-) I bought the movie "Rio" to watch this evening as a surprise, but I've never seen it before, so I'm hoping it's good. It IS rated "G," which is promising in and of itself, considering most children's movies these days are a solid "PG." I'll let you know how it turns out. ;-)
Right now it sounds like "Curious George" is on, so I think I'll just go back to watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries (on YouTube: check them out if you haven't already!!!!) and drinking Theraflu. Have a good Monday!!
~Grace
Saturday, August 4, 2012
For the Uninitiated...
For those of you who have not yet been introduced to the brilliant humor of Cake Wrecks, let me be the first to tell you this site is so awesomely hilarious, it's not even funny.
Wait. Never mind.
Anyways, I was flipping through their recent posts earlier, and I came across this one. I thought you "unsocialized home-schoolers" out there would be able to identify with it, especially.
Did you read it? Good. Hope you aren't (permanently) scarred. *grins maniacally*
~Grace
P.S. ....you DO realize I was kidding about the whole "scarred" thing...right? Hey! Where are you going?....
Wait. Never mind.
Anyways, I was flipping through their recent posts earlier, and I came across this one. I thought you "unsocialized home-schoolers" out there would be able to identify with it, especially.
Did you read it? Good. Hope you aren't (permanently) scarred. *grins maniacally*
~Grace
P.S. ....you DO realize I was kidding about the whole "scarred" thing...right? Hey! Where are you going?....
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Fisher More college
Otherwise known as College of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More. Do they not have the coolest coat of arms EVER?
And here's their website: http://www.fishermore.edu/
Formerly The College of St. Thomas More, they've recently "re-vamped", and added a few more things and changing their image a little bit to try to draw Traddies. And they're completely classical/liberal arts, which is very cool (see! There's that word again!). But check them out! I'd write more, but math is calling, and we have people coming to replace our garage doors in a few hours. *rolls eyes* The fun never ends. ;-)
~Grace
Formerly The College of St. Thomas More, they've recently "re-vamped", and added a few more things and changing their image a little bit to try to draw Traddies. And they're completely classical/liberal arts, which is very cool (see! There's that word again!). But check them out! I'd write more, but math is calling, and we have people coming to replace our garage doors in a few hours. *rolls eyes* The fun never ends. ;-)
~Grace
*hums* Busy! Busy! Horribly busy!
*suppresses enormous yawn which threatens to make her lower jaw pop
off and send her teeth flying hither and yon across the room to the
horror of her family, friends, and other near relations*
...
I become very gruesome when I'm this tired. I sincerely apologize for the mental image I know you all just experienced.
*cough*
Anyways, I've had so many different things going on lately it's not even funny. Definitely fun though. :D
First off, I just got home a couple weekends ago from a nine-day trip to...MICHIGAN!!! :D I had a BLAST!!! I drove up with one of my bosses and surprised the daylights out of one of my bestest friends ever (*waves enthusiastically* HI HANNAH!!!!!!!! Love ya, girl!!!! ;)). I had been planning this with one of her other best friends for a long time now, but as it turned out Hannah went on a trip to Cedar Point, Ohio, on the day I was supposed to get to her house. So I had to wait around from about 2 in the afternoon until she got home around midnight. She was going to spend the night at her friend's camper, so when they got home they went straight out to the backyard where it was parked. I turned the video camera on and opened the door, and then the next few minutes after that were a crazy blur of excited shrieks and hoping Hannah wasn't going to faint. ;-) I literally thought she was either going to pass out or haul off and slug me. Fortunately all she did was hug me to death. :-) <3 And the entire time I was up there we were doing stuff....we went to a wedding, danced for four hours straight at the reception, drove up to Mackinac Bridge, went to the Enchanted Knights store (*wiggles eyebrows*) and a VERY SPECIAL fudge shop (*wiggles eyebrows some more*), and we spent a few days up at Houghton Lake in her families' camper. Despite the blazingly hot weather it was a lot of fun. :-) And then I got to fly home! My first time on an airplane, by myself! Take-off was amazing. It's one of my new favorite things.
She's planning on coming down next June and staying for a little while, so I'm trying to come up with all sorts of fun things to do while she here -- go into D.C., go swingdancing....actually that's about as far as my list has progressed at this point, but I'm sure we'll have a blast! :)
In addition to encouraging my newly discovered inner globe-trotter, I've been working like crazy. Just last week we spent five hours going to Georgetown for a doctor's appointment. Georgetown is really very pretty though. Then later this week we have an interview with a girl who is (hopefully!) going to be taking over from me as the main attendant, at which point I will be doing respite care only.*
*Respite care is a sort of "back-up", in case the attendant can't make it for some reason. I would also be picking up the extra hours, for example if the parents were to go out, they would get a regular babysitter for the other children while I was there to take care of the individual child.
Next week I'll be starting for the family whose little boy has Dupe15. I can't wait! :D I've been doing a TON of research into it and the program they're using and stuff like that. Here's what it is, exactly: http://www.idic15.org/Chromosome-15-duplications.html
In addition to all this, I'm hopefully going to be finishing high school before too much longer (PRAISE BE!!!!!!!). This will technically be my senior year, but I came up with a Scope & Sequence plan, and it turns out I don't have quite as much left to do as I thought I did. *stress melts just a little* But with any luck I'll be taking the SAT this October (possibly again in the spring), and then finishing the up sometime early next year! Another thing I'm really excited about is.......
*drumroll*
I'm applying to college! In like, a month! Or maybe even less, if I find time to write an essay on how my faith relates to reason (which shouldn't be THAT hard...hopefully). I'm applying to the college of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More!! They have their freshman year online now, and are planning to have their sophomore year up by next year! I'm only applying for their Associates Program for the moment, because I don't need to give them an SAT score, and I'll only be taking one course this year while I finish up high school, but I'm soooooo freakin' excited!!!!!! I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere, ya know? I think I'll be taking Rhetoric, too, which will be really cool (random question: what did we do before somebody thought of using the word "cool" to describe something other than the current temperature??).
So school is coming along well, and jobs are coming along well. I just wish I could get more sleep...but I guess I'll get used to it. ;-)
~Grace
...
I become very gruesome when I'm this tired. I sincerely apologize for the mental image I know you all just experienced.
*cough*
Anyways, I've had so many different things going on lately it's not even funny. Definitely fun though. :D
First off, I just got home a couple weekends ago from a nine-day trip to...MICHIGAN!!! :D I had a BLAST!!! I drove up with one of my bosses and surprised the daylights out of one of my bestest friends ever (*waves enthusiastically* HI HANNAH!!!!!!!! Love ya, girl!!!! ;)). I had been planning this with one of her other best friends for a long time now, but as it turned out Hannah went on a trip to Cedar Point, Ohio, on the day I was supposed to get to her house. So I had to wait around from about 2 in the afternoon until she got home around midnight. She was going to spend the night at her friend's camper, so when they got home they went straight out to the backyard where it was parked. I turned the video camera on and opened the door, and then the next few minutes after that were a crazy blur of excited shrieks and hoping Hannah wasn't going to faint. ;-) I literally thought she was either going to pass out or haul off and slug me. Fortunately all she did was hug me to death. :-) <3 And the entire time I was up there we were doing stuff....we went to a wedding, danced for four hours straight at the reception, drove up to Mackinac Bridge, went to the Enchanted Knights store (*wiggles eyebrows*) and a VERY SPECIAL fudge shop (*wiggles eyebrows some more*), and we spent a few days up at Houghton Lake in her families' camper. Despite the blazingly hot weather it was a lot of fun. :-) And then I got to fly home! My first time on an airplane, by myself! Take-off was amazing. It's one of my new favorite things.
She's planning on coming down next June and staying for a little while, so I'm trying to come up with all sorts of fun things to do while she here -- go into D.C., go swingdancing....actually that's about as far as my list has progressed at this point, but I'm sure we'll have a blast! :)
In addition to encouraging my newly discovered inner globe-trotter, I've been working like crazy. Just last week we spent five hours going to Georgetown for a doctor's appointment. Georgetown is really very pretty though. Then later this week we have an interview with a girl who is (hopefully!) going to be taking over from me as the main attendant, at which point I will be doing respite care only.*
*Respite care is a sort of "back-up", in case the attendant can't make it for some reason. I would also be picking up the extra hours, for example if the parents were to go out, they would get a regular babysitter for the other children while I was there to take care of the individual child.
Next week I'll be starting for the family whose little boy has Dupe15. I can't wait! :D I've been doing a TON of research into it and the program they're using and stuff like that. Here's what it is, exactly: http://www.idic15.org/Chromosome-15-duplications.html
In addition to all this, I'm hopefully going to be finishing high school before too much longer (PRAISE BE!!!!!!!). This will technically be my senior year, but I came up with a Scope & Sequence plan, and it turns out I don't have quite as much left to do as I thought I did. *stress melts just a little* But with any luck I'll be taking the SAT this October (possibly again in the spring), and then finishing the up sometime early next year! Another thing I'm really excited about is.......
*drumroll*
I'm applying to college! In like, a month! Or maybe even less, if I find time to write an essay on how my faith relates to reason (which shouldn't be THAT hard...hopefully). I'm applying to the college of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More!! They have their freshman year online now, and are planning to have their sophomore year up by next year! I'm only applying for their Associates Program for the moment, because I don't need to give them an SAT score, and I'll only be taking one course this year while I finish up high school, but I'm soooooo freakin' excited!!!!!! I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere, ya know? I think I'll be taking Rhetoric, too, which will be really cool (random question: what did we do before somebody thought of using the word "cool" to describe something other than the current temperature??).
So school is coming along well, and jobs are coming along well. I just wish I could get more sleep...but I guess I'll get used to it. ;-)
~Grace
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, actually it was on Sunday, so HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're getting so OLD!!!!!!! Haha, just kidding. ;-) For those of you who don't know, I met Hannah three years ago -- feels like forever ago! -- during an online Latin class we were both taking. We were the only two girls our age in the class, so we started talking and ended up exchanging email addresses. End story is we've been best friends ever since! She's already been down here once and I just got back from surprising her with a visit, and she's planning to come down again next June! I'm soooooo excited :D But anyways, Happy Belated Birthday darlin'!!!!!! Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :-* <3
~Grace
~Grace
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Silly Me...
So I've been waiting to post until I have a good hour or so to myself.
Hah.
Hahaha.
*rolls on floor giggling until tears stream down her face*
*recovers*
You'd think I'd know better by now, wouldn't you?
Anyways. SO much has happened in the past week or so (or at least it seems that way to me) that maybe I do have a good excuse after all.
First of all, I am starting an ACT/SAT essay writing class courtesy of BraveWriter and Ms. Julie Bogart. I've used some of her material in the past, so I'm really looking forward to the class. I've been feeling in need of something to help me organize my thoughts and write them out clearly and coherently (as perhaps you might have been able to tell).
Second, college is *sigh* once more in "should-I-stay-or-should-I-go?" limbo. And I'll tell you why.
I recently received a part-time-job offer from a lady who goes to our church, whose son has a chromosomal abnormality called Duplicate 15q, or "Dupe-15q." Its side effects include sensory issues, problems with vision, hearing, and speech, and sometimes seizure disorders. And this tough little guy has it all. A friend of mine works has been working with him part-time for a couple years now, and the stories she tells me about him just make me want to cry, he sounds like such a sweetie! I'm so so so so so so excited to be given the opportunity to work with him, and it looks like it's a done-deal! There's only a little bit of paperwork to fill out. *jumps around excitedly*
However...
(In the sentences following I'm probably going to sound really selfish...I apologize sincerely.)
Since I'm now taking on two part-time jobs, it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to finish school when I was planning (what is that saying? Man plans and God laughs?), simply because I won't have enough time, between work and piano and family stuff.
I was talking all of this over with my mom the other day when I first got this offer from Mrs. P., and having extremely mixed emotions. I was thrilled to think that I might be able to work with Little Guy (that'll be his nickname), but at the same time I was so frustrated because I had thought I was going to be able to finish up highschool over this summer/early fall, take the SAT, and start applying to colleges so that I could leave home fall 2013.
My mother, ever the sensible one (love you Momma!), was trying to tell me that I didn't necessarily need to leave for college next year, and was even going so far as to tell me I could call it a "gap-year", if it made me feel better.
Well it didn't.
Fortunately, (for both my poor mother and myself), I had planned to go to confession and Mass that evening anyway, so I told myself if I had a little extra time in before Mass I would sit down and pray about it and see if that helped any.
As it turned out, I was the only one in line for confession, so I had a good hour and a half before Mass started. So after confession I sat down in a corner and said my penance, which was to read a card full of quotes from St. Padre Pio and Blessed Mother Teresa. My eyes immediately fell on a quote from Mother Teresa, admonishing those who don't trust in God's Will and His plan for us, even if it's something completely different from what we intended.
I couldn't help it.
I started crying. Right there in the church.
Luckily there weren't very many people there yet, other than a few elderly ladies who were praying the rosary.
Even Mother Teresa was telling me to get over myself. After I managed to pull myself together I asked that God would give me some sign as to what His plan was, because I was ready to listen now. It wasn't long before I got my answer.
In his homily, Father talked about Mary, and how we should all take her for our role model for accepting God's Will, no matter what He throws at us, and no matter when He sends us something we need to be willing to say "Yes Lord," and do it right then and there. Mary's obedience was all about trusting that God had a bigger and better plan for her, even when she couldn't tell where it would take her and the Baby Jesus.
It couldn't really have been more plain if He had put it up on a billboard with my name on it. And when I got home I emailed Mrs. P and told her I would accept the job.
The funny thing is, the family I've been working for during the past two years is starting therapy for their youngest girl, because we suspect some learning disability, or delay. And now I get this job-offer to work with another child with special needs.
Oh! And if the homily/quote signs were not enough, God really made sure I was getting the message...
This past Sunday I got ANOTHER part-time-job offer from another family in our homeschooling group who just had a baby with Down's Syndrome, and they're looking for an aid to help take care of him.
I'm starting to see a trend here...
I'm just wondering if there's any particular reason He wants me to know how to work with special needs children. Perhaps I'm meant to be an occupational therapist? I always thought it would be neat to work with the disabled. Or maybe someday one of my own children will be special needs. I don't know.
What I do know is I'm extremely grateful for the kick in the pants from Mother Teresa, and the billboard homily courtesy of Father, and all the job offers.
And I also know that I'll think of that those two things whenever I feel my inner-control-freak starting to kick in.
~Grace
Hah.
Hahaha.
*rolls on floor giggling until tears stream down her face*
*recovers*
You'd think I'd know better by now, wouldn't you?
Anyways. SO much has happened in the past week or so (or at least it seems that way to me) that maybe I do have a good excuse after all.
First of all, I am starting an ACT/SAT essay writing class courtesy of BraveWriter and Ms. Julie Bogart. I've used some of her material in the past, so I'm really looking forward to the class. I've been feeling in need of something to help me organize my thoughts and write them out clearly and coherently (as perhaps you might have been able to tell).
Second, college is *sigh* once more in "should-I-stay-or-should-I-go?" limbo. And I'll tell you why.
I recently received a part-time-job offer from a lady who goes to our church, whose son has a chromosomal abnormality called Duplicate 15q, or "Dupe-15q." Its side effects include sensory issues, problems with vision, hearing, and speech, and sometimes seizure disorders. And this tough little guy has it all. A friend of mine works has been working with him part-time for a couple years now, and the stories she tells me about him just make me want to cry, he sounds like such a sweetie! I'm so so so so so so excited to be given the opportunity to work with him, and it looks like it's a done-deal! There's only a little bit of paperwork to fill out. *jumps around excitedly*
However...
(In the sentences following I'm probably going to sound really selfish...I apologize sincerely.)
Since I'm now taking on two part-time jobs, it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to finish school when I was planning (what is that saying? Man plans and God laughs?), simply because I won't have enough time, between work and piano and family stuff.
I was talking all of this over with my mom the other day when I first got this offer from Mrs. P., and having extremely mixed emotions. I was thrilled to think that I might be able to work with Little Guy (that'll be his nickname), but at the same time I was so frustrated because I had thought I was going to be able to finish up highschool over this summer/early fall, take the SAT, and start applying to colleges so that I could leave home fall 2013.
My mother, ever the sensible one (love you Momma!), was trying to tell me that I didn't necessarily need to leave for college next year, and was even going so far as to tell me I could call it a "gap-year", if it made me feel better.
Well it didn't.
Fortunately, (for both my poor mother and myself), I had planned to go to confession and Mass that evening anyway, so I told myself if I had a little extra time in before Mass I would sit down and pray about it and see if that helped any.
As it turned out, I was the only one in line for confession, so I had a good hour and a half before Mass started. So after confession I sat down in a corner and said my penance, which was to read a card full of quotes from St. Padre Pio and Blessed Mother Teresa. My eyes immediately fell on a quote from Mother Teresa, admonishing those who don't trust in God's Will and His plan for us, even if it's something completely different from what we intended.
I couldn't help it.
I started crying. Right there in the church.
Luckily there weren't very many people there yet, other than a few elderly ladies who were praying the rosary.
Even Mother Teresa was telling me to get over myself. After I managed to pull myself together I asked that God would give me some sign as to what His plan was, because I was ready to listen now. It wasn't long before I got my answer.
In his homily, Father talked about Mary, and how we should all take her for our role model for accepting God's Will, no matter what He throws at us, and no matter when He sends us something we need to be willing to say "Yes Lord," and do it right then and there. Mary's obedience was all about trusting that God had a bigger and better plan for her, even when she couldn't tell where it would take her and the Baby Jesus.
It couldn't really have been more plain if He had put it up on a billboard with my name on it. And when I got home I emailed Mrs. P and told her I would accept the job.
The funny thing is, the family I've been working for during the past two years is starting therapy for their youngest girl, because we suspect some learning disability, or delay. And now I get this job-offer to work with another child with special needs.
Oh! And if the homily/quote signs were not enough, God really made sure I was getting the message...
This past Sunday I got ANOTHER part-time-job offer from another family in our homeschooling group who just had a baby with Down's Syndrome, and they're looking for an aid to help take care of him.
I'm starting to see a trend here...
I'm just wondering if there's any particular reason He wants me to know how to work with special needs children. Perhaps I'm meant to be an occupational therapist? I always thought it would be neat to work with the disabled. Or maybe someday one of my own children will be special needs. I don't know.
What I do know is I'm extremely grateful for the kick in the pants from Mother Teresa, and the billboard homily courtesy of Father, and all the job offers.
And I also know that I'll think of that those two things whenever I feel my inner-control-freak starting to kick in.
~Grace
Monday, June 4, 2012
C. S. Lewis vs. J. R. R. Tolkien, or What Makes a Good Fantasy Novel
"How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and yet at home in it? How can this queer cosmic town, with its many-legged citizens, with its monstrous and ancient lamps, how can this world give us at once the fascination of a strange town and the comfort and honour of being our own town?"
~ G. K. Chesterton
I was reading "Orthodoxy" the other day, just randomly flipping through the pages, when the above quote suddenly caught my eye. And it started me thinking.
How can we find something fascinating in the dullest, most ordinary, everyday things? Is there some way to make the ordinary things not only appear extraordinary, but reveal them as just that?
This, I think, is the reason for fantasy novels, and those who write them. This question is why we have had the story-teller even from the earliest time of man's existence. Stories have a way of engaging our imagination and helping us to see things that our physical eyes can't. They help us to look deeper beyond the outer shell of commonness. And in doing so, they have to push us beyond our comfort zone.
The good fantasy novel creates a world that may not resemble ours exactly, but one that obeys and reflects the laws that bind our universe together. And that is what makes them so convincing, and the reason so many people are drawn to them.
But the creating of a good fantasy world is a difficult thing to do. The good fantasy world doesn't exactly take us out of our world, but shows us our own in a different light, and it does this by reminding us of the "Deep Magic."
Tolkien, in his series "the Lord of the Rings," achieves this feat. The world of Middle Earth is a far-cry from our own Earth, but what makes it so believable? I believe it is because it follows the same rules as our world. It is familiar, but at the same time intriguingly strange. Our predicament in entering Middle Earth is similar to that of the Hobbits the story is centered on. They are inhabitants of Middle Earth, but they have been comfortably sheltered in their land of the Shire. There has been a whole world beyond their borders, but it takes a wizard named Gandalf and a Ring of Power to push them into that world. The "Big-People", as the Hobbits call them, are perfectly at home in the land beyond the Shire. But to the little Shire-folk, what lies past their doorstep is both wonderful and frightening. And in the end, it is the Hobbits who save Middle Earth from the rise of Sauron.
C. S. Lewis, in the "Chronicles of Narnia", answers the same question, though to a lesser degree I think. And not just because LOTR is several levels above "Narnia." There is a fundamental difference between the two worlds. While Middle Earth is mysteriously beautiful, Narnia is comfortably familiar. Nothing in Narnia is strange, nothing surprises us. There is a passing mention of a "Deep Magic", but nothing touches that Magic except for a few instances: one is when the children reach the Woods Between the Worlds, where every one of the millions upon millions of pools of water contains its own world. Another is when Aslan returns from the dead. But after that it's business as usual. It reminds me of a mild fairytale. One with a very definite and decided moral. It holds no exciting, never-before-seen twist on an oft-repeated lesson. This is not simply because the intended audience is younger. It doesn't hold the same depth and mystery as Middle Earth. However, Narnia is still a good fantasy novel, because it creates a world that obeys the universal laws of right and wrong, with the true and the good always overcoming the evil.
That is what makes a good and true fantasy novel. The challenge issued by Mr. Chesterton is the one fantasy writers and story-tellers attempt to answer when they set out to spin their tales, whether or not they intend to do so. Mr. Tolkien is, in my opinion, the highest example of someone who has succeeded in answering the challenge.
~Grace
~ G. K. Chesterton
I was reading "Orthodoxy" the other day, just randomly flipping through the pages, when the above quote suddenly caught my eye. And it started me thinking.
How can we find something fascinating in the dullest, most ordinary, everyday things? Is there some way to make the ordinary things not only appear extraordinary, but reveal them as just that?
This, I think, is the reason for fantasy novels, and those who write them. This question is why we have had the story-teller even from the earliest time of man's existence. Stories have a way of engaging our imagination and helping us to see things that our physical eyes can't. They help us to look deeper beyond the outer shell of commonness. And in doing so, they have to push us beyond our comfort zone.
The good fantasy novel creates a world that may not resemble ours exactly, but one that obeys and reflects the laws that bind our universe together. And that is what makes them so convincing, and the reason so many people are drawn to them.
But the creating of a good fantasy world is a difficult thing to do. The good fantasy world doesn't exactly take us out of our world, but shows us our own in a different light, and it does this by reminding us of the "Deep Magic."
Tolkien, in his series "the Lord of the Rings," achieves this feat. The world of Middle Earth is a far-cry from our own Earth, but what makes it so believable? I believe it is because it follows the same rules as our world. It is familiar, but at the same time intriguingly strange. Our predicament in entering Middle Earth is similar to that of the Hobbits the story is centered on. They are inhabitants of Middle Earth, but they have been comfortably sheltered in their land of the Shire. There has been a whole world beyond their borders, but it takes a wizard named Gandalf and a Ring of Power to push them into that world. The "Big-People", as the Hobbits call them, are perfectly at home in the land beyond the Shire. But to the little Shire-folk, what lies past their doorstep is both wonderful and frightening. And in the end, it is the Hobbits who save Middle Earth from the rise of Sauron.
C. S. Lewis, in the "Chronicles of Narnia", answers the same question, though to a lesser degree I think. And not just because LOTR is several levels above "Narnia." There is a fundamental difference between the two worlds. While Middle Earth is mysteriously beautiful, Narnia is comfortably familiar. Nothing in Narnia is strange, nothing surprises us. There is a passing mention of a "Deep Magic", but nothing touches that Magic except for a few instances: one is when the children reach the Woods Between the Worlds, where every one of the millions upon millions of pools of water contains its own world. Another is when Aslan returns from the dead. But after that it's business as usual. It reminds me of a mild fairytale. One with a very definite and decided moral. It holds no exciting, never-before-seen twist on an oft-repeated lesson. This is not simply because the intended audience is younger. It doesn't hold the same depth and mystery as Middle Earth. However, Narnia is still a good fantasy novel, because it creates a world that obeys the universal laws of right and wrong, with the true and the good always overcoming the evil.
That is what makes a good and true fantasy novel. The challenge issued by Mr. Chesterton is the one fantasy writers and story-tellers attempt to answer when they set out to spin their tales, whether or not they intend to do so. Mr. Tolkien is, in my opinion, the highest example of someone who has succeeded in answering the challenge.
~Grace
Sunday, May 20, 2012
I've been Tagged!
For the first time in my blogging history :D :D :D This makes me very happy for some reason...
*cough*
Anyways, here's my answers to the tagging questions.
*cough*
Anyways, here's my answers to the tagging questions.
So.
Rules and Restrictions:
- It is imperative that these rules be plainly visible to all who can see and will see your blog. Therefore, post them at the top.
- Because random facts about people tend to captivate interest, post 11 personal and insignificant facts about yourself.
- Answer your friend/acquaintance/fellow wanderer's 11 questions as well and as fully as you are able.
- Ask 11 more questions on hopefully philosophical orotherwise thoughtful subjects.
- Find 11 more friends/acquaintances/fellow wanderers to tag--gently, please.
- Go to their blogs and inform them of the happy fact that they are now Officially Tagged and Must Do Your Bidding.1. Have you ever been to a holy site in Europe? No, I haven't. I want to go on a pilgrimage sometime soon though. Perhaps to Chartres or something.
2. Do you think makeup decreases or increases beauty? Depends on how much you use. :) Makeup is for enhancing the beauty that's already there, if that's what you mean.
3. Is it easier writing poetry or a book? A book, definitely. I couldn't write poetry if my life depended on it. I mean, I could jot down a two lines that sorta rhymed, but I couldn't write poetry that would be good enough for public consumption.
4. Do you think the culture needs to be more dignified? Absolutely.
5. Do you feel closer to God during the day or night and why? I feel closer to Him during the day, because one: I'm awake and experiencing His creation and all His gifts, and two) nighttime is very lonely, so everybody feels farther away, including God. :P
6. Is bike riding or running easier? Bike riding, but I do both. :)
7: What is your prince Charming like? Haha hmmm.......smart, gentle, good with kids, taller than me, has a good singing voice or plays some sort of instrument, chivalric, mature, funny, quiet. Amazing good looks are preferred but not absolutely necessary. Apply here. ^_^
8. Are you a night owl or early bird? Night owl, definitely.
9. Do you like jewelry or flowers from your imaginary knight? ;) Flowers. :D Although it depends on the kind of jewelry...if it's a diamond ring, that's a WHOLE other story.
10. Picasso: Genius or cookuu? Off his blooming rocker. :P11. Uh...JKF assassination. Conspiracy or not? (You don't have to answer that ;) ) Haha ehhhh......I actually have no idea. I'll do some research and get back to you on that. ;)Okay, here are my questions *evil chuckle/lightning flashes*:1. What is your favorite book?2. What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever done/had to do?3. What is your favorite subject in school?4. What is your favorite musical?5. Do you dream in color or black and white?6. What is your opinion of the state of the world?7. How would you go about fixing it?8. If you had three wishes, what would they be? (wishing for more wishes in any way, shape, or form is forbidden)9. What is your Prince Charming like? (even if you don't have one, you have to describe him lol)10. What is your opinion of college?11. If you could meet and spend an afternoon with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?I'm tagging everyone!! Including those poor unfortunates who are reading this post! Muahahaha.....and if you read this and do not comment with your responses, I will find you out.... ;)
Thanks, Hannah, for the tag!!!!!! *glomps*
~Grace
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Excuses, Excuses...
Alright, so I know I've been neglecting this poor blog lately, but I have a few good excuses. One is schoolwork -- my main goal in life right now is to finish all of my schoolwork so I can take the SAT this autumn and start applying to colleges. *crosses fingers*
Two, we just got back from the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina! We spent a whole week with my mom's side of the family, and we had a blast. Aside from a little bit of sunburn on those who absolutely refuse to wear sunscreen. *whistles innocently* And the fact that we didn't get to take our annual ferry ride to Ocracoke Island because they were "shoaling" the Hatteras Channel. :( Apparently the government didn't give them enough money to properly shoal earlier in the year, so ferries were getting stuck out in the middle of the water, sometimes for hours. Obviously my parent's didn't want to be stuck out in the ocean in a car with six kids, two of whom are still in diapers. But later in the week we got to go to the aquarium (Hobbit* loved getting to see "Nemo" and "Dory"), the "Life is Good" store, the reenactments at Roanoke Island, and of course hang out with the family.
*In case you were wondering, whenever I refer to one of my family members, I'll use a nickname. As a point of reference, here they are in order from my dad to my youngest brother:
Dad - Aragorn
Mom - Arwen
Me :-)
Bro #1: Gandalf
Bro #2: Pippin
Sis #1: Galadriel
Sis #2: Hobbit
Bro #3: Samwise
So! Just a quick post for now, since I have to go babysit in about an hour. It'll just be the youngest girl today, so I foresee a nice relaxing afternoon. :) Later on I have an idea for a post explaining why J. R. R. Tolkien is better than C. S. Lewis. So stay tuned!
~Grace
Two, we just got back from the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina! We spent a whole week with my mom's side of the family, and we had a blast. Aside from a little bit of sunburn on those who absolutely refuse to wear sunscreen. *whistles innocently* And the fact that we didn't get to take our annual ferry ride to Ocracoke Island because they were "shoaling" the Hatteras Channel. :( Apparently the government didn't give them enough money to properly shoal earlier in the year, so ferries were getting stuck out in the middle of the water, sometimes for hours. Obviously my parent's didn't want to be stuck out in the ocean in a car with six kids, two of whom are still in diapers. But later in the week we got to go to the aquarium (Hobbit* loved getting to see "Nemo" and "Dory"), the "Life is Good" store, the reenactments at Roanoke Island, and of course hang out with the family.
*In case you were wondering, whenever I refer to one of my family members, I'll use a nickname. As a point of reference, here they are in order from my dad to my youngest brother:
Dad - Aragorn
Mom - Arwen
Me :-)
Bro #1: Gandalf
Bro #2: Pippin
Sis #1: Galadriel
Sis #2: Hobbit
Bro #3: Samwise
So! Just a quick post for now, since I have to go babysit in about an hour. It'll just be the youngest girl today, so I foresee a nice relaxing afternoon. :) Later on I have an idea for a post explaining why J. R. R. Tolkien is better than C. S. Lewis. So stay tuned!
~Grace
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Resurrexit Dominus!!
Happy Easter everybody!!!!!! :D Hope y'all had a wonderful day.
Our's wasn't so great because half my family is sick either with flu, or strep throat, or both at the same time. :P But we went up to Maryland to the Latin Mass (which was beautiful, btw!). Here's a link to some of the music the schola sang (shoutout to Spencer!!! You guys sounded uh-mazing, as usual): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlSK8vn55ZA
And we got Krispy Kreme donuts afterward (yum!), and then came home to dye Easter Eggs.
Unfortunately, the eggs were dyed, hidden, found, and smashed before I could grab a camera, so I have no pictures to post. :P Just imagine eggs dyed by sugar-high small children and you have a pretty good idea of what they looked like. ;) After egg-hunting, my uncle came over and we had ham and green beans and sweet potatoes. Yum. ^_^
My brother and I went to Mass again later that day, and I thought Father had a really good sermon. He said that the Resurrection should give us hope, not only for the future when we will rise again, but also for the present; that even when it seems like there's no way out and everything's going to end and end badly, there is still hope. Even when it seems like the enemies of the Church have surrounded her and beaten her, she will rise again and even stronger than before. And so will we.
How was y'all's Easter? :)
~Grace
Our's wasn't so great because half my family is sick either with flu, or strep throat, or both at the same time. :P But we went up to Maryland to the Latin Mass (which was beautiful, btw!). Here's a link to some of the music the schola sang (shoutout to Spencer!!! You guys sounded uh-mazing, as usual): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlSK8vn55ZA
And we got Krispy Kreme donuts afterward (yum!), and then came home to dye Easter Eggs.
Unfortunately, the eggs were dyed, hidden, found, and smashed before I could grab a camera, so I have no pictures to post. :P Just imagine eggs dyed by sugar-high small children and you have a pretty good idea of what they looked like. ;) After egg-hunting, my uncle came over and we had ham and green beans and sweet potatoes. Yum. ^_^
My brother and I went to Mass again later that day, and I thought Father had a really good sermon. He said that the Resurrection should give us hope, not only for the future when we will rise again, but also for the present; that even when it seems like there's no way out and everything's going to end and end badly, there is still hope. Even when it seems like the enemies of the Church have surrounded her and beaten her, she will rise again and even stronger than before. And so will we.
How was y'all's Easter? :)
~Grace
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Question...
So apparently the movie "The Hunger Games" came out in theaters last night, and apparently it was very good (or so they tell me). People all over the internet and radio are saying the movie was amazing, and so true to the book, and they can't wait for the next installment. Even adults are raving about them, talking about how beautifully written they are and how inspired they feel reading about the adventures of Katniss (the heroine).
But I have a question. And before some of you start groaning, let me assure you I am asking this in all seriousness and sincerity.
What is the message of these books?
Yes, I have read them, and I found them to have entertainment value, but since everyone seems so taken with them I was wondering if I'm perhaps missing some underlying something that makes them so attractive?
So! If you like, I would appreciate it if y'all would comment and let me know your thoughts. :) I'm not trying to start an argument; I am genuinely curious about the series and why it is so popular, even among grown men and women.
~Grace
But I have a question. And before some of you start groaning, let me assure you I am asking this in all seriousness and sincerity.
What is the message of these books?
Yes, I have read them, and I found them to have entertainment value, but since everyone seems so taken with them I was wondering if I'm perhaps missing some underlying something that makes them so attractive?
So! If you like, I would appreciate it if y'all would comment and let me know your thoughts. :) I'm not trying to start an argument; I am genuinely curious about the series and why it is so popular, even among grown men and women.
~Grace
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Because I have no time...
Here's a little something I like to call a "Grace-has-nothing-interesting-to-say-at-the-moment-so-she's-going-to-post-Youtube-videos" post. ^_^
This is probably the most random thing you have ever seen (or will ever see).
This was sent to me by a friend and it's veddy cool.
So anyways...there's my filler-post for the week. I might post about colleges later tonight/tomorrow. :D
~Grace
This is probably the most random thing you have ever seen (or will ever see).
This was sent to me by a friend and it's veddy cool.
So anyways...there's my filler-post for the week. I might post about colleges later tonight/tomorrow. :D
~Grace
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Parish Mission Talks: Night Three (and Other Happenings)
So Wednesday night was the final night of our parish's Lenten mission. The topics Father Warkulwiz discussed were basically on how to pray and pray well. He talked primarily about how difficult it is to pray and not be distracted (I wholeheartedly agree). He used a story about St. Bernard to illustrate this:
The Saint was traveling to another city with a young friend. This friend spent the first day in looking about him and appreciating the beautiful surroundings. In contrast, the priest kept his head bowed and his eyes fixed firmly before him. The friend noticed this, and towards the end of the day, asked St. Bernard why he did not look around him at the scenery. The saint replied that he was trying to avoid distraction while praying. The young man scoffed and replied that he had no trouble focusing while he prayed. The priest smiled and said, "If you can say one 'Our Father' without being distracted, then I will give you this fine donkey on which I am riding." The young man agreed and, after a moment, began to pray.
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name....can I have the saddle and bridle as well?"
Overcoming the temptation to become distracted during prayer is a hard struggle. Fortunately, the more you pray, the easier it is to focus, until you have no trouble at all (*sighs dreamily at the thought*). The same applies to visiting Our Lord in a Holy Hour frequently. The first hour might seem to drag on and on, but each time you go, the time passes faster until an hour doesn't seem like enough.
Another point he talked about was how important it is to be consistent and confident in prayer. He mentioned the story of the woman who kept pleading with the judge until he ruled in her favor. He also told us that praying to Mary is the best way to reach Our Lord, because she takes our prayers and perfects them, and then offers them to Jesus.
After the talk, Father did Exposition and Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, and it was beautiful (even if I did miss the cue to start the "O Salutaris"...).
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this year's mission. Usually I don't really because we tend to invite very...charismatic priests. But this year was quite enjoyable, and I hope Fr. Warkulwiz comes again next year. :)
As a side note: I wanted to ask you all to please please please pray for the soul of a woman from our parish who died quite unexpectedly last Saturday evening. The circumstances of her death were...not the best, and she desperately needs our prayers. :( Thanks!
~Grace
The Saint was traveling to another city with a young friend. This friend spent the first day in looking about him and appreciating the beautiful surroundings. In contrast, the priest kept his head bowed and his eyes fixed firmly before him. The friend noticed this, and towards the end of the day, asked St. Bernard why he did not look around him at the scenery. The saint replied that he was trying to avoid distraction while praying. The young man scoffed and replied that he had no trouble focusing while he prayed. The priest smiled and said, "If you can say one 'Our Father' without being distracted, then I will give you this fine donkey on which I am riding." The young man agreed and, after a moment, began to pray.
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name....can I have the saddle and bridle as well?"
Overcoming the temptation to become distracted during prayer is a hard struggle. Fortunately, the more you pray, the easier it is to focus, until you have no trouble at all (*sighs dreamily at the thought*). The same applies to visiting Our Lord in a Holy Hour frequently. The first hour might seem to drag on and on, but each time you go, the time passes faster until an hour doesn't seem like enough.
Another point he talked about was how important it is to be consistent and confident in prayer. He mentioned the story of the woman who kept pleading with the judge until he ruled in her favor. He also told us that praying to Mary is the best way to reach Our Lord, because she takes our prayers and perfects them, and then offers them to Jesus.
After the talk, Father did Exposition and Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament, and it was beautiful (even if I did miss the cue to start the "O Salutaris"...).
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this year's mission. Usually I don't really because we tend to invite very...charismatic priests. But this year was quite enjoyable, and I hope Fr. Warkulwiz comes again next year. :)
As a side note: I wanted to ask you all to please please please pray for the soul of a woman from our parish who died quite unexpectedly last Saturday evening. The circumstances of her death were...not the best, and she desperately needs our prayers. :( Thanks!
~Grace
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Parish Mission Talks: Night Two
Our parish is holding its annual Lenten Mission talks this week, and tonight was the second in a series of three talks.
This year the talks are being given by Father Warkulwiz (sounds like a dwarvish name from LOTR, right??) from the Apostolate for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. The theme, I believe, is "Prayer and Praying." I am ashamed to admit that I was half-asleep last night (I have an excuse! I only got six hours of sleep the night before and had had only one cup of coffee all day!), so I don't remember much. But I'm very glad I was awake tonight because it was awesome.
He talked about confession and penance, and how important they are, and yet how much they're dismissed these days as superfluous. This is caused mainly by our fallen human nature, of course, because we don't like to take responsibility. The story of Eden is a perfect example. Several saints have commented that if Adam and Eve had simply repented instead of blaming each other, then we might still be in Paradise (oy!). He went on to say that the sin of Adam and Eve was caused not only by greed, but by pride, because they didn't think God should rule over them. They wanted to be independent of His laws, and they wanted to be the ones to say what was right and what was wrong. Sound familiar? :P
He went on to say how much we have been desensitized to sin, due to media we consume, news-stories we hear on television, or pop-culture telling us "hey, it's all good...no worries." We encourage this because we have an inborn desire for comfort. And nothing can make us more uncomfortable than our conscience. So we try to shut it out, turn it off, anything so that it won't bother us anymore. And eventually we succeed.
But therein lies the problem. We all have to have someone to tell us what's right and what's wrong, so if we remove our conscience -- and God -- then we turn to the "higher authorities" in our government or in Hollywood. They give us their version of the ten commandments: thou shalt not overpopulate the earth, thou shalt not vote against abortion or contraceptives, and thou shalt not be a hater. Like, vote for gay marriage and legalize drugs, man. The greatest sin in their eyes in intolerance. Except of course their own intolerance for the Truth.
Another thing he talked about was "the butterfly effect". Usually used in reference to the unpredictability of weather patterns (you know...a butterfly flapping it's wings in China can cause a tornado in Kansas?), it holds true in the case of sin, as well. Every little sin we commit -- no matter how small or private -- has a massive impact on the rest of mankind. He told us a story about St. Francis de Sales that went like this:
St. Francis heard the confession of a young man who told him that he was guilty of telling a vicious lie about one of his friends. The priest told the young man that for his penance, he must take a pillow to the top of the bell tower, cut it open, and shower the feathers on the city below. After he did this, he was supposed to report back to him. Confused, the young penitent did what the priest instructed. It was a very windy day, and the feathers flew far and wide. When he got back to St. Francis, the priest said, "Now for to complete your penance, go and retrieve all the feathers from the pillow." The young man, shocked, replied, "But Father, I cannot! Those feathers are spread halfway across the kingdom by now!" St. Francis smiled sadly and said "It will be easier for you to collect all of those feathers again than to remove the lie you told from every ear that it reached."
One of my favorite parts of the talk was when he mentioned the Latin Mass. :D Everybody knows the worst sin you can commit is to receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, right? What you may or may not know is that more and more Catholics today are committing that sin. According to Father, this is due to poor instruction in catechism, the mind-set of "oh, I didn't really mean to do that...God'll understand", and new liturgical movements. *jaw drops* I can't believe he actually said that! *collects self* He explained that back when we had to go up to kneel at the altar rail to receive Communion, there was much more ceremony, ergo: reverence. Today's casual Masses and frequent changes to the liturgy make it impossible to reach that same level of focus on the real purpose of the Mass (i.e. the Sacrifice).
So! Overall I thought the talk was amazing. Even if it did make me want to crawl into a hole somewhere and never come out. ;) :P
~Grace
This year the talks are being given by Father Warkulwiz (sounds like a dwarvish name from LOTR, right??) from the Apostolate for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. The theme, I believe, is "Prayer and Praying." I am ashamed to admit that I was half-asleep last night (I have an excuse! I only got six hours of sleep the night before and had had only one cup of coffee all day!), so I don't remember much. But I'm very glad I was awake tonight because it was awesome.
He talked about confession and penance, and how important they are, and yet how much they're dismissed these days as superfluous. This is caused mainly by our fallen human nature, of course, because we don't like to take responsibility. The story of Eden is a perfect example. Several saints have commented that if Adam and Eve had simply repented instead of blaming each other, then we might still be in Paradise (oy!). He went on to say that the sin of Adam and Eve was caused not only by greed, but by pride, because they didn't think God should rule over them. They wanted to be independent of His laws, and they wanted to be the ones to say what was right and what was wrong. Sound familiar? :P
He went on to say how much we have been desensitized to sin, due to media we consume, news-stories we hear on television, or pop-culture telling us "hey, it's all good...no worries." We encourage this because we have an inborn desire for comfort. And nothing can make us more uncomfortable than our conscience. So we try to shut it out, turn it off, anything so that it won't bother us anymore. And eventually we succeed.
But therein lies the problem. We all have to have someone to tell us what's right and what's wrong, so if we remove our conscience -- and God -- then we turn to the "higher authorities" in our government or in Hollywood. They give us their version of the ten commandments: thou shalt not overpopulate the earth, thou shalt not vote against abortion or contraceptives, and thou shalt not be a hater. Like, vote for gay marriage and legalize drugs, man. The greatest sin in their eyes in intolerance. Except of course their own intolerance for the Truth.
Another thing he talked about was "the butterfly effect". Usually used in reference to the unpredictability of weather patterns (you know...a butterfly flapping it's wings in China can cause a tornado in Kansas?), it holds true in the case of sin, as well. Every little sin we commit -- no matter how small or private -- has a massive impact on the rest of mankind. He told us a story about St. Francis de Sales that went like this:
St. Francis heard the confession of a young man who told him that he was guilty of telling a vicious lie about one of his friends. The priest told the young man that for his penance, he must take a pillow to the top of the bell tower, cut it open, and shower the feathers on the city below. After he did this, he was supposed to report back to him. Confused, the young penitent did what the priest instructed. It was a very windy day, and the feathers flew far and wide. When he got back to St. Francis, the priest said, "Now for to complete your penance, go and retrieve all the feathers from the pillow." The young man, shocked, replied, "But Father, I cannot! Those feathers are spread halfway across the kingdom by now!" St. Francis smiled sadly and said "It will be easier for you to collect all of those feathers again than to remove the lie you told from every ear that it reached."
One of my favorite parts of the talk was when he mentioned the Latin Mass. :D Everybody knows the worst sin you can commit is to receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, right? What you may or may not know is that more and more Catholics today are committing that sin. According to Father, this is due to poor instruction in catechism, the mind-set of "oh, I didn't really mean to do that...God'll understand", and new liturgical movements. *jaw drops* I can't believe he actually said that! *collects self* He explained that back when we had to go up to kneel at the altar rail to receive Communion, there was much more ceremony, ergo: reverence. Today's casual Masses and frequent changes to the liturgy make it impossible to reach that same level of focus on the real purpose of the Mass (i.e. the Sacrifice).
So! Overall I thought the talk was amazing. Even if it did make me want to crawl into a hole somewhere and never come out. ;) :P
~Grace
Friday, March 9, 2012
Greetings and Salutations!
Some of you may know me from the Fairy Tale Novel Forum as Lady Maeve. Some of you may know me in real life as Grace M. Some of you may know me from both. :)
If you do know me, you know that I:
~have quite a few opinions (and don't mind sharing them)
~love reading Chesterton and St. Thomas Aquinas
~am a Traditional Roman Catholic
~am a political junkie
~am obsessed with Gregorian chant/traditional Catholic hymns
~want to major in theology and music in college (once I get there)
~and I am a writer/soon-to-be-published-authoress.
And there you have my resume. ;-)
The purpose of this blog will be to show you what else I'm interested in, what's going on in my world, and, on occasion, a place for me to rant/poke fun at liberals/people who just don't get it...you have been warned. ;-)
Seriously though, welcome to my blog, and I hope you enjoy reading my crazy posts.
~Grace
If you do know me, you know that I:
~have quite a few opinions (and don't mind sharing them)
~love reading Chesterton and St. Thomas Aquinas
~am a Traditional Roman Catholic
~am a political junkie
~am obsessed with Gregorian chant/traditional Catholic hymns
~want to major in theology and music in college (once I get there)
~and I am a writer/soon-to-be-published-authoress.
And there you have my resume. ;-)
The purpose of this blog will be to show you what else I'm interested in, what's going on in my world, and, on occasion, a place for me to rant/poke fun at liberals/people who just don't get it...you have been warned. ;-)
Seriously though, welcome to my blog, and I hope you enjoy reading my crazy posts.
~Grace
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