Geese, Pies, and Feast Days (SQT 21)

1. It feels so good to sit at a computer and type using a regular keyboard. My husband finally fixed some internet issues and set me up an account on the working desktop! No more trying to type on a tablet touch screen! (To those whom I've communicated with up til now, I apologize for the typos. Know that even the effort of typing is a sign of my regard for you. ;) )


2. Now for a very important question: has anyone ever bought a goose? I mean, a goose that's plucked and ready to stick in the oven. I am determined to roast one for Michaelmas this year. But I have a feeling it's not something one picks up at the local Giant Eagle. And I can't really imagine a local butcher having geese in stock either. So if you've ever bought a goose for roasting, let me know how you managed to find it please? :)


3. Speaking of feast days, it was this guy's on Wednesday:

We had buttermilk pie (because I had some I needed to use up in the fridge) and he got to taste it after his twin was in bed.


4. Normally I shower during the twins' morning nap. Dominic woke up yesterday before I had the chance, so I brought him downstairs to play with Michael. I took a three minute shower in the upstairs bathroom and when I got out this face was peering through the door at me.

A huge bruise on his forehead and I-have-no-idea above his lip.

Now he's up those stairs ten times a day. Rather than putting up a baby gate I am trying to teach him to come back down the stairs on his own. We'll see ... the gate may yet go up.


5. Gregory's still just sitting there. Sometimes he tries to will himself forward to no avail.


6. Remember our pink dining room? Now it looks like this.

Yes, that's plain old drywall. But it's glorious. The room is already so much brighter--that pink was eating up all the light!

(You'll notice that the outlets are painted pink ... and we also have to remove wallpaper from the plates.)


7. On that note--I'm off to prime some walls while my husband paints the ceiling!


Linking up at Conversion Diary.

A Family Altar

I've been thinking about a family altar since we moved into this house, and Lent seems a good time to set one up. Then Auntie Leila posted about her forthcoming book (which I've pre-ordered, and  you should too!) and my friend Christine wrote about setting up a home altar. But I've been having trouble finding a spot that met my three criteria:


1. a place that's prominent rather than an out-of-the-way corner of the room,

2. a place that's easily accessible to gather around and pray, and

3. a place that's unlikely to be collided into by rambunctious little boys.


Thinking about it was getting me nowhere so taking advantage of a rare opportunity when all three children were sleeping, I did some experimentation with two ideas.

Number one:

A beloved statue of Our Lady, St. Therese, our boys' patron saints

This little table served primarily as a family altar in our old apartment, and it has a little drawer that could be used for rosaries, holy cards, and such. I think it makes a very pretty altar. The only problem is where it's located in our dining room. 

Yep, that table's not likely to get bumped by a little boy, unless it's when we try to squeeze in front of the altar during family prayer. There really is no room between the altar and the dining room table. Plus it's really only noticeable from one direction (I stood in the kitchen doorway to take this picture).

So, option number two:

On the mantle, so very prominent, nothing likely to get bumped or broken, and quite easy to gather around. But I just feel it lacks a certain something ... 

Why yes, there are two babies asleep in those swings!

I think part of the problem is that the mantle is so BIG. We're going to eventually build shelves on either side of the mantle so perhaps that will create more of a "space" but for now it just seems like the altar is more "stuff."

I've also thought about setting it up where the computer is--right now the computer is the first thing you see on walking in our front door, and how neat would it be to have the altar there instead? But I don't think we'll be rearranging our furniture any time soon. I'm thinking the dining room is our best bet for now, simply because it's the space that most feels like an altar.

What do you think?


(Posted as part of the seven posts in seven days challenge ... even though I missed day two.)

After Candlemas

Yesterday was Candlemas. We have been burning candles at dinner since Christmas, and I would like to set up a family altar sometime in the coming months, so I bought a bunch of candles with the intention of getting them blessed at Mass yesterday. And then forgot to bring them.

Drat.

I hope that as my boys grow older I am able to gradually build the habit of organizing things such that the rhythm of the liturgical year, with all its wonder and beauty, is second nature to them. And I myself want to enter more deeply into these feasts and learn what they mean. Right now, the spiritual significance of Candlemas isn't something I'm all that familiar with; instead I think: "Candlemas ... blessing candles ... COOL!" Which is probably what my boys will think.

But if we can really live that rhythm and allow it to shape our lives, I know it will sink in to a deeper level, shaping our minds and hearts as well. That's what it means to live liturgically; that's why we have a liturgy to begin with.

We got our tree down just under the wire--Keith took it out on Saturday evening. And I LOVE how open and light our living room feels now. I also love having my little corner back. Not that I have much time to sit in it with a book or knitting. I have been reading voraciously but that is only thanks to my Kindle. (Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord for that gift. My 25 year old self would be shocked and scandalized how much I love this device.)

ANYWAY. Stream of consciousness blog posting ... speaking of lighting dark places, I just consumed half a chocolate bar before 11am. I really don't know how that happened except February, and three poopy kids. And breastfeeding. Breastfeeding excuses all things ... right?