Make your own spring

Our little seedlings started poking up through their little peat moss beds within two days!  We have started flower seeds in one of these greenhouse boxes for several years now and it is always a welcome addition to our spring (or lack of it). 

They are inexpensive and easy to do--just pour in the amount of water called for on the package and wait a few minutes for the pellets to swell up.  Then, plant one to two seeds in each and put the plastic cover over the top.  I leave the cover on until the plants reach the top.  It doesn't take long!  Water as needed as they grow. 

The hardest part is finding places for all of these seedlings when they outgrow their homes and need to be transplanted.  Then we have plastic cups and little pots in front of windows for a few weeks until it is warm enough to transplant outside.  I have found it's best to wait until after the 15th of March to plant (in our area of South Dakota, anyway).  Otherwise, I have had plants outgrowing their plastic cups, too. 

Inevitably, a strong wind will come up and bend them over after we plant them outside in mid-late May, but the zinnias just bend back up toward the sun and keep on a growin'! 

I still give local greenhouses plenty of business with other flowers and plants that I don't start from seeds (and because it's just so much fun going to greenhouses!), but growing my own 72 flower plants for about $10 really helps out!

 

In other botanical news, did you know that shamrock leaves fold up at night and open again in the morning? 

We all do now!

We are One Body

As Christians, we are all one body in Christ. (Romans 12:5)  We are called to, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)
I have mentioned the Catholic Moms Facebook group several times.  It feels funny when I tell someone that these women are my "friends," but we all refer to each other the same way. What started out as a mid west group now covers the US and Canada.  We would love to have some sort of a "real" gathering, but that probably won't happen for awhile since, well, we're MOMS! 
We've discussed jobs, children, marriage, education, and ways to use ground beef.  Every day's posts have their share of rejoicing and weeping--births, miscarriages, triumph, and tragedy--we cover all parts of this brutal and beautiful life.  These women are prayer warriors and no prayer request is too small or too large.  Usually these requests are kept within our group, but sometimes, we just have to reach out to gather all of the prayers we can.  This past week brought one of those times.
One of our group, Theresa Robocker, lost her husband in an accident near Canistota, SD, while on his way to work Thursday morning.  They have 5 children and are expecting their 6th child this September. 
I've never met Theresa, but she was one of the first to respond when I posted a plea for prayers late last spring as I found out my baby would be going into surgery in the fall.  Her daughter had been born with a major heart defect, and surgeries have been a part of their lives since her birth.  Her timely encouragement, descriptions of what to expect, and prayers were priceless to me.
Now I hope I can help and support her in the same way.
A memorial fund for Jeff Robocker has been set up at www.gofundme.com/2dhux8 to assist his family with funeral and other expenses. 
Thank you to all of my Facebook friends who responded to my request for prayers for their family yesterday. 
I know they are priceless.

We are one body, one body in Christ, and we do not stand alone.
We are one body, one body in Christ, and He came that we might have life.

Blog Abandonment

I should be arrested for blog abandonment.  But . . . I'm back now!!  It was quite the eventful week.

 

1.  Our new nephew, Isaiah Luke, was born late last Thursday.  We hope to meet him tomorrow . . . or maybe on Easter (which will be his Baptism day) . . . it (still) depends on the weather!

 

2.  Friday and Saturday were spent preparing for the Confirmation dinner for 200.  We found out that 100 pounds of grapes is equal to 6 boxes and it takes about four hours for three people to take them off the stems.

We also found out that we should have scaled back on the number of servings that was suggested.  We did have about 50 fewer plates than we expected, but we still would have had more than enough grape salad!  Needless to say, we workers were paid generously in food at the end of the night!  Everything went very well, though, with the Confirmation students, their families and Bishop Swain enjoying the meal.

 

3.  On Monday morning, Roxanne and I ventured out into the arctic winds to complete a road trip that had been on our calendars since January.  We spent some time shopping and eating in Sioux Falls (neither of which ever disappoint) and continued onto Walnut Grove, MN to Junk With Purpose on Tuesday morning.  The store also did not disappoint!  I found this hutch after about three minutes of walking in the store . . . and a few other treasures as well!  David thinks we junk collectors are kinda crazy. :o)

 

Teresa talked me into this shamrock plant at the grocery store yesterday.  It looked pretty droopy until this morning.  I guess it decided it likes it here.  We also planted our greenhouse flower seeds this morning.  We will have lime green and hot pink zinnias in the front flower bed this year!   

 

We are ready for some COLOR!

 

 

"Mom! There's White Smoke!"

As it turns out, I didn't need to sign up for PopeAlarm.com (even though they did deliver on their promise of a timely alert).  I had my Teresa running down the stairs excited to share the news! 

I know it is just a simple thing . . . my five-year-old daughter running down the stairs to tell me something she knew we had been waiting for.  But, yet, it was such a beautiful moment that touched my heart.  She knew, in her own little, way that this was a big day for the Church.  She was so genuinely excited to see the white smoke pouring from the chimney.  It brought tears to my eyes--it really did. 

Thank God I decided to do my semi-annual ironing shortly before the Special Report so that the scene could happen as it did. :o)

I fail my children on a regular basis.  I may never read the school lunch menu or always forget about show and tell on Wednesdays or not make Teresa brush her hair when we're at home, (even though I should), but for us, it all comes down to THIS ONE THING--David and I providing a SOLID FOUNDATION FOR OUR CHILDREN'S CHRISTIAN FAITH.  When any of them show excitement about any aspect of this faith, it is better than anything else in the world for me.  Yes, I may fail my children once or twice in their childhoods, but I hope I never fail them in matters of faith. 

After a looong time of waiting, (and Teresa ultimately deciding cartoons were the way to go), we found out that former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, now Pope Francis, is our new Holy Father.  We once again have a Pope who will lead us, hopefully for many, many years, and, among other things, rebuild this Church as his namesake was entrusted to do.  He will need our prayers as he prays for us.

Habemus Papam!

(We have a Pope!)

 

Yeah, I picked up a little Latin today, too.  It really was a big day. :o)

Ramblings

On any given day, my Facebook news feed will include political statements from friends on topics ranging from health care to gun control.  How is it possible that no one--not one--of these political types have taken a stand on something that is so much more important, which is . . . getting rid of this totally unnecessary invention we call Daylight Savings Time?!?!  I would lead the charge, but I am just too tired and so is my army.  Nothing like jet lag without leaving the farm!  We don't want to eat when it's time to eat, sleep when it's time to sleep, or get up when it's time to get up!

As you may have also caught here or there while watching the news, the first day of the papal conclave is complete and black smoke rose from the chimney, which means no new pope yet!  I signed up for PopeAlarm.com, mostly because their catch line made me smile, "When the smoke goes up, know what's going down."  :o)

As posted on the Ignatius Press website today, "Catholics do not believe that the pope is perfect, or faultless, or sinless, or even necessarily good, holy, wise, or nice. There have certainly been popes who have made foolish mistakes, enacted ruinous policies, or been bona fide scoundrels. There is one thing, however, that no pope has ever done in all history, from Peter to the present day. No pope has ever taught heresy."
--David B. Currie from his book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic

I have not read his book, but I may in the future.  I also started reading Saints and Sinners, which is a history of Christianity and the Papal Succession by Eamon Duffy.  It's going to take some forgotten brain cells to get through it (I am somewhere around the Emperor Constantine right now), but it will be worth it!

It's exciting when I can see history being made.  Maybe it's because I simply like history and following back to where things began.  Maybe it's because, this time, our children are old enough to follow along somewhat with the process, too.  Mostly, I think, it is because it brings the Catholics of the entire world together, young and old, watching and waiting.  So much of Catholicism for me is about community, whether that being a line of us buying Filet O' Fish sandwiches on Fridays during Lent or feeling a connection to those gathered in St. Peter's Square today! :o)

And, with that, I have a tired toddler on my hands and will soon welcome our boys home from another day of school. 

Time to get back to wife and mommyhood!