Notes from a little house on the prairie

I'm Going to Be an Aunt

2010-05-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we found out that my brother's wife Nicole is going to have baby!!! We are all so excited! Even William is excited, we asked him"William what is the big news?" he says "I don't know." we say "The news about Paul and Nicole!" and he screams "THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!!!!" They said that she has been pregnant for about 2 months and the baby should be born around Thanksgiving!

My latest book...

2009-12-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

My latest book is "The Great Brain". The Great Brain is actually a series of seven books. They are about a Catholic family named the Fitzgeralds they live in a small town in Utah called Adenville. There are three brothers John ( the author), Tom (the main character) and Sweyn (he is at school in Pennsylvania during most of the books). It's based in the mid to late 1880's and their true stories. Tom is 12 years old and he is richer than all the kids in Adenville and some of the adults. "How does he get so rich?" you may ask... well Tom is also one of the smartest people in Adenville (except for his father... the only one in the town who went to college).Tom, by one means or another, gets things from people (by trading or any of his other tricks) and than sometimes sells them to other kids who don't have one. Sometimes Tom will make bets that other kids are almost positive he will lose, so they bet money, but he ends up winning just about always.

In one of my favorite chapters one of the kids (Parley Benson) gets a quarter horse for his eleventh birthday (in the time of the chapter he was 14) and every year at the annual 4th of July parade he races all the other mustangs, mares, quarter horses, and saddle horses against his horse in a quarter mile race and he always wins. Than one year after he continues to boast about winning Tom tells John that he just can't stand Parley's boasting any more and he is going to put a stop to it. So he suggest that he is going to race his mustang, Dusty, against Parley's quarter horse, Blaze. Of course Tom's mustang wins, but Tom says that he will race on Parley's quarter horse and Parley will ride Dusty, but Tom says he will beat the mustang in a mile long race... That is just what he did! When they raced the next Saturday Tom did win! The way he did it was that he ran Blaze around the track one time (the track once around was a quarter of a mile) than after the first time around he slowed him down to a walk than just as the mustang was catching up he broke him back out into a run. Tom ended up winning by ten yards.

This and many other chapters are waiting in the books for someone else to read them. I definitely (needless to say) recomend these books. My older brother very much enjoyed them and I really like them too. They are one of the few real laugh-out-loud-books that I've read. I would call the series VERY enjoyable!

Favorite Poem Friday...

2009-12-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well, technically I made it up while I was coming home from my Grandmom's but I think that it may work...

   The Last Few Hours Before
                           As we wait
                           The last few hours before
                           The celebration of the birth
                           Of the Almighty King by the eternal shore
                           As we wait to celebrate
                           The coming of the Lord to earth
                           We begin to think of miracles
                           That happened because of his birth
                           As we think of presents
                           We may get this year
                           We will also think of the presents
                           We will give the Lord when He arrives down here
                           As we begin to thank God
                           In every single way
                           We say to those on earth
                          "Merry Christmas Day"

A Poem for the Month of October

2009-10-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite poems that I've ever learned and it's for the month of October. The verses I wrote are just 4 out of 8 and I don't know the other 4.

October's Bright Blue Weather

by Helen Hunt Jackson

O suns and skies and clouds of June
And flowers of June together

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October's bright blue weather

When on the ground red apples lie,

Like piles of jewels shining,
But redder still on old stone walls
Are the leaves of the woodbine twining

When comrades seek sweet country haunts
In two by twos together,
And count like misers hour by hour
October's bright blue weather

O suns and skies and flowers of June
Count all your boasts together,
But ye cannot rival for one hour

October's bright blue weather!

Feast of St. Philomena

2009-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

We don't actually know all that much about the life of Saint Philomena. She was a Grecian princess and she was very beautiful. St. Philomena had a great love for God.

Sometime in the early 300's Diocletian wanted to start a war so St. Philomena's father said that they would go to Rome and see if they could do anything to keep peace.

When they got to Rome Diocletian fell in love with St.Philomena. But Diocletian already had a wife so when he asked St. Philomena to marry him she said she would rather die than to commit the sin of marrying someone who was already married and besides that, she had promised herself to God when she was very young. Diocletian was so angry at this that he ordered his men to have St. Philomena scourged. On the night after her scourging, as she was lying in her cell she saw an apparition of Our Lady. Our Lady said to have strength for what was to come and to always keep her faith in God, all the way to the end.

The next morning when Diocletian came to propose marriage once again to St. Philomena he found that every scar that had been there the night before was completely gone and that now she had more faith than ever in God. So Diocletian ordered that St. Philomena was to be tied to an anchor and thrown into a lake. This too was a failure because, before there was time enough for her to actually drown, angels lifted her out of the water and brought her safely to land.

Diocletian was so annoyed at this that he ordered that she was to be pierced with arrows. But every time an arrow came close to her it turned around and pierced the soldier that sent it. After this Diocletian decided to do something that would not fail. He said that she would be beheaded.

After her beheading St. Philomena's soul went straight to God.

In the 1800's some men who were looking in all the old catacombs found one that said " Fi tecum pax Lumena" But when the words were all put together correctly it said "Pax tecum Filumena" which means "Peace be to you Philomena". Next to the inscription were pictures of an anchor, an arrow, and a lily. This meant that she was a martyr. Later she was taken to Mugnano and is still there.

Her feast is August 11,
She is the patron saint of youth.

~by Theresa

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-07-29T13:23:00.001-07:00

These are a few anonymous pictures that William helped me pick out:

Was there ever a boy with such varying tastes?

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2009-07-24T14:41:00.001-07:00

These are my favorite pictures:
Silly:

Cool:

Religious:

Puppies!!!

2009-06-12T14:43:00.001-07:00

On May 31, Cathy spotted our dog Brigid's second litter of puppies. Her first litter was a little brown dog that we named Ella and a little black black dog we named Meme. We think the Daddy was a stray black lab that would stop by our house every once in a while. In the end we ended up giving away Ella to the church and Meme to some friends who lived close by.

This time (as you see in the pictures) she had a little black and white one and one that's grey, white, and black. The black and white one is a girl and the grey, black, and white one is a boy. We haven't decided on names yet. We think that the Daddy is an abandoned shelty that wanders around the town. But we don't know for sure yet!!

~by Theresa

What Vegetable Is It? Quiz

2009-06-12T14:22:00.001-07:00

Trivia!!!!

Who can guess what vegetable this is?!

Is it an apple?

Is it a radish?

Or is it a tomato?

~by Theresa

Guess who we found!

2009-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we found a small orange fluff-ball-of-a-kitten lying on the floor of the chicken house. We put her back where we thought she had gone and this morning when we went back we found the mama had moved her, but just a few minutes ago we saw our cat walking up to our door with another black furball! We think the orange kitten is a girl and the black one is a boy so we decided to call them Bede (after St. Bede who's feast day is coming up), and Nilla (after St. Petronilla who's feast day is also coming up quickly). They're adorable!!! We've fallen in love with them already! I'll have some pictures as soon as we find the orange fluff ball.

~by Theresa

The Story of St. Louis de Montfort...

2009-04-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

St. Louis De Montfort was born on January 31, 1673. He was one of eighteen children of a lawyer in Montfort, France. He was always very holy, even when he was so young that most people at his age were just learning to read! He used to teach other children, younger and older than himself catechism.

He was also very dedicated to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary. He would kneel by his bedside by the age of six and say the entire rosary. When he was twelve he entered a Jesuit college, where in the first year he was entrusted with the care of the infirm and the poor that came to the door asking for alms. Here he began his penances of scourging himself, wearing hairshirts, and very strict fastings. Here he also received his vocation as a priest.

After becoming a priest, he completely devoted himself to Jesus through Mary. He never had a single personal possession. When he set out to the Seminary of Saint Sulpice he gave all the money he had to a beggar on the street and traded in his brand new suit for some beggar clothes. Then he decided to walk the seven-hundred-mile journey from Paris to the seminary! He even begged for his food! He completely gave up the world.

At the seminary many doubted he had true devotion and thought he had only spiritual pride. They thought this because of his talks with Our Lady when he passed a statue of her and his visits to the chapel before and after his classes. His superiors tried to make him stop with every kind of humiliation but never succeeded. From all this St. Louis never gave one complaint!

St. Louis' favorite saying of Our Lord's was: "If anyone should follow Me then let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" So, he thought it his job to enjoy mockeries and those who made fun of him throughout the 16 years from his ordination to his death.

The devil never stopped trying to make him fail. Once he was heard saying, while upon his hands and knees, "Mary Mother of God help me!" The devil would go to St. Louis' room and torment him. But he never could he make St. Louis stop trusting in God.

St. Louis then went to Poitiers. Where the people there begged the bishop to give him a more definite job that would give him more time to stay there. Soon a daughter of a very rich man decided to become one of the first nuns in St. Louis' Daughters of Wisdom convent. The community and her family made such a riot about it that the bishop said that St. Louis could no longer offer Mass! So, he moved on.

Wherever the holy man went he left behind cures, miracles, and fervent devotions. He was rewarded with mockery and scorn.

So, St. Louis left for a hospital in Paris where he took care of both the physical and spiritual needs of his patients. One day when coming to dinner he found a dismissal paper on his plate (who knows why). So he left.

He was allowed to preach in far off towns where the sight of a priest tended to cause much anger and hatred. Soon, St. Louis completely converted one of the villages where it was the worst. There he taught devotion to the Holy Rosary, had nightly processions and bonfires for burning impure books. He turned saloons into places of prayer, and restored churches. Goodness became a part of everyday life!

After trying a life devoted to the poor and a life converting small villages, receiving no help and only hindrance from his superiors, he decided to ask the pope for advice. He walked one thousand miles to Rome. The pope said there were many more positions in France for a priest and he appointed him an Apostolic Missioner.

He soon joined Fr. Leuduger who was also an Apostolic Missioner. Soon trouble arose and through a misunderstanding Fr. Leuduger soon dismissed St. Louis.

So, St. Louis was on his own with only a few priests to join him in the Company of Mary. He was sometimes assisted by other missionary priests. His successful work continued in Saint Malo until a heretical bishop sent him out.

At a town called Pontchateau St. Louis built an imitation of Mount Calvary that covered 300,000 feet of ground! Then came one of the biggest disappointments of St. Louis' life. One of St. Louis' few enemies thought that the Mount Calvary imitation might be a good shelter for the enemies of France. So the day before the blessing it was announced that it must be destroyed (although St. Louis had foreseen that it would have to be destroyed twice before it would successfully be able to stay).

St. Louis was hated for his conversions. Many times he was almost killed. Once a large dose of poison was put in to his food and he did not notice until after having a spoonful. It did not kill him right away but it did deteriorate his once perfect health and he slowly began to die.

He still went wherever he could to preach even with his failing health. It was getting to the year 1716 and his death was very near. By this time his nuns had almost a full convent. On his deathbed his confessor insisted on him removing the straw and rock bed he had had since he became a priest and replace it with a mattress and pillow.

Just before he died the Devil tried one last time to make St. Louis fail. In one last effort against the Devil St. Louis cried aloud "You attack me in vain. I stand between Jesus and Mary. I shall sin no more!" With that his soul was finally able to go to it's true home - Heaven.

His feast is April 28th,

He is the author of the famous book The Secret of Mary, and he is known for founding the devotion called Total Consecration to Mary.

He is the patron saint of travellers.

~by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday...

2009-04-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Outside my window... it's a little cloudy and windy but it's still beautiful.

I am thinking about... the goat we are going to see later on (she' s a neubian).

From the kitchen... we're going to be making granola!

I am creating... finishing up the goat pen incase we buy the goat.

I am reading... still David Copperfield and I've started Madeleine Takes Command.

I am hoping... we can go to Spokane this summer.

Around the house... we have gotten 11 eggs in the first 3 days the chickens have been here.

Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...we maybe going to the pool.

Recipe Monday...

2009-04-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

This week's recipe is: French Toast!

L'ingredients:

4 eggs
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
10 to 12 slices white bread
butter
maple syrup or other syrup

Preparation:

Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork.
Stir in sugar, salt, and milk.
Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.
Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side. Soak/coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time.
Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown.
Turn and brown the other side. Serve French toast hot with butter and syrup.

Recipe for French toast serves 4.

~by Theresa

An Update On What's Going on Here...

2009-04-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

We just got 10 pretty hens on Saturday! They are all different breeds. We named them Victoria, Henrietta, Miss Persnicketty (or Persy), Tricky Wu, Miss Marple, Tink, Penny, Maple, Opal, and BooBoo Chicken.

Here are pictures of all of them (I think). The first picture is of Penny, Tink, Henrietta, and of Maple. The second is of Miss Marple and Tricky Wu. The third is of Maple and Opal. The fourth is of Miss Persnicketty (or Persy). The fifth is of BooBoo Chicken. The last is of Victoria, our Clydesdale chicken.

We have gotten 6 eggs the first 2 days that they have been here!

~by Theresa

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-04-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last time I did this I chose pictures I thought were cute or I just plain old liked. This time here are the ones I think are funny.

These are my favorites out of our pictures. I thought they were so funny!

~ by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday...

2009-04-22T09:54:00.001-07:00

Outside my window... It's a bright sunny day and it's supposed to get up to 80 degrees later on.

I am thinking about... The chickens we may be getting soon.

From the kitchen... we'll be drying apples and tomorrow we will make Granola.

I am creating... fixing up the hen house for our chickens.

I am reading... David Copperfield (a very long book which I've only just started).

I am hoping... we can go to Spokane this summer.

I am hearing... Mommy and Kevin talking.

Around the house... we sold every single one of our puppies except for our sweet Grigio who we are keeping.

Few Plans for the Rest of the Week... well fixing up our barn and hen house and hopefully getting our chickens on Saturday.

Recipe Monday...

2009-04-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

This week is: Oreo Pops!

What you will need:

20 popsicle or lollipop sticks

20 Oreo cookies

1 12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 12 ounces white chocolate bark (like we used)

1 T. vegetable oil
Chopped nuts,

colored sprinkles ( optional)

Directions:

To form Oreo Pops, insert popsicle sticks into the cream center of each cookie. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate and oil until melted and smooth, stirring constantly.

Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, coating evenly.
Place dipped cookies on waxed paper and decorate with chopped nuts, sprinkles or candies.

Leave cookies on waxed paper until completely set, then wrap in plastic wrap and tie with a bow for gift-giving.

Makes 20 Oreo® Pops

(Can be doubled)

My Latest Book...

2009-04-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Augustine Came to Kent, by Barbara Willard. It tells about a time when St. Augustine of Canterbury went to Kent. It is also about a young boy named Wolf and his father, who go along with St. Augustine and his fellow monks in 597.

Wolf's birthplace was England, but when raids started, Wolf and his family were taken to be sold as slaves. The raiders brought them to the Roman market place to be sold, and St. Gregory bought them and brought them to a house where they could live. He arranged for Wolf's father to be the helper of the farmers in that area. There, Wolf and his family lived for about 8 years until they were invited by St. Augustine to come to England to help bring Catholicism to it. His father refused the first request saying that he had to stay in Rome with his family. Soon after, though, Wolf's mother died.

The first time St. Augustine and his fellow monks set off, they were unable to make it all the way to England, so they sailed back. Wolf's father decided that St. Augustine and the monks came back because God was trying to tell them that they were supposed to go with them. Wolf's father left Wolf's sister in the care of dear friends and he and Wolf, who was 12 at the time, set off with the monks. Then, when they tried to make the journey again, they succeeded in getting all the way to England.

Because Wolf knew English, he was able to translate for the monks when they were in England trying to make conversions. In England he met a girl named Fritha. She and her father, like all the Englishmen, were pagans. Fritha had been promised to her cousin before they were old enough to protest. Soon after the family and the monks came, she and her father were their first conversions. Fritha later said that she not only had made a vow not to marry her cousin the day she was baptized, but had promised to marry Wolf.

But, her evil uncle was furious at hearing of their baptism and found a way to punish them...

There is alot of adventure and excitement in this book. If you want to find out what happened to Wolf and Fritha and if the Augustinians succeeded in converting England, you can find the book here.

~ by Theresa

St. Patrick's Feast Day...

2009-03-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick was born in Wales in 387. While still young, "Niall of the Nine Hostages" captured him and sold him to a farmer in the country. He took care of the farmer's sheep and even his pigs. Sometimes he would have to kill one of the pigs just to keep from starving to death.

Then one day, he heard a voice, a voice from God. He said that St. Patrick had to get away, because there was a ship in Waterford that was going to France. When he got there Patrick asked the captain if he could go to France on his ship. The captain asked "Why are you in such a hurry?" Then he continued "You're a slave who is trying to escape, aren't you?" St. Patrick said "Yes, I am." The captain said "I don't want slaves on my ship!" Then they sailed away. They didn't get far. Almost as soon as the ship left the dock the dogs started barking and they had to go back. After several times of this St. Patrick said that if he could go on the ship then he would keep the dogs quiet. The captain said "Alright but if you are lying, then we will throw you overboard!" So, St. Patrick boarded the ship, and almost as soon as he got on the ship the dogs stopped barking.

When they landed in France St. Patrick realized what he was meant to do. He was meant to become a priest. Then he heard another voice, again from God, He said that once he had finished priest school he must go back to Ireland and preach to the Irish pagans.

By the time he went back to Ireland it was Easter. On Easter night they lit a fire. What they didn't know was that they were actually breaking the law. Then it was the custom that the king would light his fire first, then all the people could light theirs. Seeing St. Patrick's fire they thought the king had already lit his fire so they started lighting theirs. When the king saw that the people had already started lighting their fires when he hadn't even lit his yet, he flew into a rage and had all the foreigners, including St. Patrick, arrested.

The chieftain did not want to hear about God, but he let St. Patrick speak anyway. He was surprised at how well he knew their language. St. Patrick picked up a shamrock and asked "How many leaves are on this shamrock?" They all answered three. Then he asked "How many seeds did it take to make the three leaves?" They all answered "one". He continued to explain the Blessed Trinity with the shamrock, after all, if three leaves can be made by one seed why can't Three Persons be in one God?

St. Patrick stayed in Ireland for sixty years. During that time he not only consecrated 350 bishops to follow him, converted all of Ireland, but also cast out every single snake from Ireland.

His feast is March 17.
He is the patron saint of Ireland.

~ by Theresa

Feast of St. Dominic Savio

2009-03-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

St. Dominic Savio was born in Italy in 1842. He was very pious and was always trying to imitate Christ. He was a good friend of St. John Bosco.

When he was 12 he went to a school run by Don Bosco. He always set a good example and when fights started he always tried to settle them in the most charitable way. He was always sure never to do anything that would not please God, and tried to make sure his classmates didn't either. For instance, one time when a magazine was sent to the school filled with bad pictures, a crowd of boys were looking at the shameful magazine when St. Dominic Savio went over to see what they were looking at. One glance at the horrid pictures was enough - he took the magazine and tore it into shreads saying, "Poor us! Did God give us eyes to look at such things as this? Aren't you ashamed?"

Then a boy replied "We were just looking at it for the fun of it."

So, St. Dominic said " Sure for fun, and in the meantime you are preparing yourself to go to hell!"

Then, another boy asked " What's the matter with looking at them anyway?"

St. Dominic replied "If you don't see anything wrong this is even worse, it means you are used to looking at these kinds of things." The rest didn't say a word, because they knew he was right.

One day, when St. Dominic was 15, he started feeling a bit sick, so he was sent home, but he just kept getting worse and worse. On his deathbed, he said goodbye to his loving parents. Suddenly, he seemed so happy and said "I am seeing such wonderful things!" and never said anything more.

His feast is March 9th.

He is the patron saint of the falsely accused, all children, and choir boys.

He is the patron saint of all children because of his good example to them, and because he tried never to let any of his classmates fall into sin.

~by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday

2009-02-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

Outside my window... it's rather dull and gray, we're expecting either rain or snow soon

I am thinking about... my French lessons with a lady at church

From the kitchen... the dishwasher is running

I am creating...some embroidery which I got for Christmas

I am reading... a book from our library called " A Girl of the Limberlost"

I am hoping... we can go up to Spokane this summer

I am hearing... Mommy on the phone

Around the house... Bella had her puppies and Paul proposed to Nicole

Few Plans For The Rest of The Week... going to a St. Valentines day skate party on Friday.

~ by Theresa

Recipe Monday

2009-02-09T16:44:00.000-08:00

This week's recipe is:
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups chocolate chips

How to make

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
In another bowl, beat flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Combine the mixtures and stir until well blended.
Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls on to a greased cookie sheet
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until you can stick in a tooth pick and it will come out clean.
Let cool for 5 to 7 minutes and enjoy!

This is Interesting!

2009-02-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

Who knows who the oldest person in the world actually is? I did some research last night and I found so many places claiming that they had the oldest person in the world, but I only found one place that didn't say something like: Mr. Shigechiyo Izumi is THOUGHT to be the oldest person ever. Out of this list can anyone guess who was the only one that was known to be older than 110?

Those Who Have Passed Away

Mr. Shigechiyo Izumi

120 years old

died February 21 1986

Maria Capovilla

122 years old

Died December14, 2005

Elizabeth MaPampo

128 years old

Died October 3 2003

Mrs. Jeanne Calment

122 years old

Died November 26, 2008

Those Still Living

Bertha Fry

113 years old

Edna Parker

114 years old

Maria da Silva

125 years old

Can you guess which one has records to prove their age?

***

****

******

*******

********

Jeanne Calment was the only one that we know for a sure thing that she was 122. She was born February 16 1896 in Arles France. This is a picture of her at her 122nd birthday. She died last November.

Here are Some Pics of Where I Live...

2009-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Pleasant Winters...
Our Old Barn...Pretty Sunset...
Sometimes a fairy or two...
And lots of room to roam!

It's a wonderful place to live.

~ by Theresa

This Is Really Fun!

2009-02-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

A virtual softie! It's a virtual doll and you can change its clothes. My 6 year old sister enjoyed it, and I thought it was really fun, too.

~ by Theresa

My Confirmation Saint

2009-02-06T16:24:00.000-08:00

For my Confirmation I chose St. Barbara. I chose her because, ever since I was old enough to read, I've always loved the story of St. Barbara. When I was trying to think of a name for my Confirmation her amazing story always seemed to be the one I thought of. Since she is a very special saint to me I decided to do a post about her.

St. Barbara was the beautiful daughter of a rich pagan man named Dioscorus. She was born around the year 300 A.D, during the prosecutions. She was so beautiful that Dioscorus wanted her all to himself, so he imprisoned her in a blocked off cell with one window, with only the servants to care for her. One day a priest happened to be passing under her tower singing a song about Christ. St. Barbara asked what he was singing about. He told her all about Our Lord and the happiness of being a Catholic. St. Barbara said that she wanted to be a Catholic, too. So, the priest instructed her in the faith then baptized her. He told her that she must not let her father know because he would have her killed. Whether it was a servant who thought it was their duty or if her father just noticed we'll never know, but Dioscorus found out about her Baptism and dragged his own daughter to the Emporer and said she must be tortured then beheaded. She still kept her faith in God. It was by her father's own hands that she was martyred. On his way home he was struck by lightning and killed.

Her feast is December 4th.

She is the patron saint of military men and prisoners.

Thank-you, Mrs. Mama Bear for the idea for this post!

~by Theresa

Feast of St Agatha

2009-02-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

St. Agatha was born in Sicily into a wealthy family. As an infant St. Agatha's parents dedicated her to Christ. For all her life she served God well and was always ready to die for the love of Him. St. Agnes was arrested by an evil Roman named Quintanus because she was a Catholic, but also because he wanted her to marry him. Agatha would never marry him because she was dedicated to Christ.

"O Jesus Christ" she cried as she set off on the journey to the prison, " All that I am is Thine; preserve me from this tyrant".

And Our Lord did preserve her. Even though Agatha was in the care of an evil person, she stayed pure and good while in prison. God gave her strength to stay firm and not fall into temptation when Quintanus offered her safety in exchange for sin.

Quintanus lost patience and sent Agatha to the torturers, but she never lost her faith in God. After being cut up and rolled over broken pottery, Agatha prayed for God to take her to Heaven, which He did.

St. Agatha is an incorruptible.
She is the patron saint of nurses and breast cancer patients.

~ by Theresa

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

Pictures I just thought were cute!

~ by Theresa

Simple Girl Tuesday...

2009-02-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

From a Tuesday in December:
Outside my window... It's a bright clear day.

I'm thinking... about how nice it will be to have all the boys and everybody here in just a couple weeks.

From the kitchen... the dishwasher is running.

I am creating... music!!!

I am reading... the 6th Trixie Belden: A Mystery in Arizona.

I am hoping... that Kevin comes down with the rest of the boys.

I am hearing... the dishwasher running.

Around the house... Michelle, Cathy, and Anna are figuring out a new device for making the rope swing more fun.

Few more plans for the rest of the week... none that I know of.

~ by Theresa