St. Joseph's School

The school is finished!  We are awaiting one last fix for final inspection.  We feel very good about the school, Steve has put so much work into the school including the brick, block, metal studs, installation of cabinets, doors, bathroom necessities, and much much more, including painting and staining.  I was able to get the approval for Carolyn at the time, that turned into approval for a high school and we have put 8 long years into our little school here, we feel good leaving here knowing our job is done, and hopefully Catholic children for years and years will benefit from the hard work we've put into our school.   I feel like we have put our blood, sweat, and tears into this school and we are proud, that we were able to be part of something for the future of Catholic children.  We really believe even though the last few years have been very hard on us, that St. Joseph led us here to do the work we've done. 

2nd-5th gr room

6th-8th grade

hall to bathrooms/lunchroom

lunch room

 k and 1st gr. 

k and 1st bathroom a front door

highschool room

foyer

hallway in foyer

Display case

In foyer

hall

back yard

back of building

front of building

Our Lady's statue

Front door

Front of school

The convent is also on the premises straight in this door to the right. 

Next Wednesday the Bishop is coming for the dedication and we will be having a Solemn high Mass early next month in thanksgiving.  We now, feel our work is done here and can leave knowing our part is done.  I took a few pictures, the hallways are filled, due to cleaning, but you can see how beautiful the work is.  I am so very proud of Steve, the work he's done here. I am so blessed to have him as my husband.  Good Job, Steveie! 

I'll have final pic's when everything is put in place!  and of course for the dedications!

Things are coming along

Well my packing is going fairly well, I'm pretty much down to organizing and then the last weeks of packing.  Starting at Easter vacation we are going start taking bed's down and packing the things we use everyday.  We got word our renters found a house are are moving out by May 1st.  We will get there June 1st.  I'm veyr excited to be done with school, packing and to get settled.

This is a busy time for us, helping the kids finish their last quarter.  Katelyn and Carolyn are disecting a shark this week.  Mikey is pushing me to work on his numbers now!  Tony is sitting and playing solo now, and that's so nice.  Rosie is giving me a royal time not wanting to go potty on the toilet.  Madelyn is studying for her First Communion,  Jaclyn has been crazy silly lately.  Joe and Evelyn have been a tad hyper--come on warm weather--these kids need to get outside!

Excuse me!

; funny, funny. when Tony was an infant I could never get him to burp but learned that if I sat him up he would burp well actually belch. haha. So anyhow, he still does it the minute he's done nursing i sit him up and he lets out a big one. Well his 4 year old brother, ran over once I sat him up to give him a kiss, I tried to stop him but it was too late, the second Mikey's lips hit Tonys--he belched a big one. The look on Mikey's face was priceless and I'm still laughing myself to tears! This is the same kid that doesn't want Tony to hold his toys because "Tony gets spit on everything" hahahaha!

Tony 8mo. old at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Splinters!

Splinters from the Cross

Little headaches, little heartaches,
Little griefs of every day,
Little trials and vexations,
How they throng around our way!

One great cross, immense and heavy,
So it seems to our weak will,
Might be born with resignation,
But these many small ones kill.

Yet all life is formed of small things,
Little leaves make up the trees,
Many tiny drops of water
Blending, make the mighty seas.

Let us not then by impatience
Mar the beauty of the whole,
But for love of Jesus bear all
In the silence of our soul.

Asking Him for grace sufficient

To sustain us through each loss,

And to treasure each small offering

As a splinter from His Cross.

Mar. 25th Feast of the Annunciation of the BVM

From Mary, My Hope
At the Annunciation, God proposes the mystery of the Incarnation which will be fulfilled in the Blessed Virgin when she shall have given her free consent.  It is as if God awaited the response of the humanity to which He wills to unite Himself.  Full of faith, Mary gives her reply: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to Thy word." At this moment the Divine Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, becomes incarnate in Mary.  It is the greatest event in history.  This mystery has earned for Mary the most glorious of her titles, that of Mother of God, which makes her all-powerful with her Son.  Have recourse to her intercession with Him, and at the same time rejoice in the honor which is yours-the onor of being able to call the Mother of God your own Mother.

Prayer:
"Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and His name shall be called Emmanuel" Isa. 7, 14
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in they womb and shalt bring forth a Son;' and though shalt call His Name Jesus" Luke 1, 30
Hail Mary...

"He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father, and He shall be King over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end" Luke 1, 32
Hail Mary...

"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and, therfore, the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God.  Mary said: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word'" Luke 1, 35
Hail Mary...

Pour forth, we beg of You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ, Your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection.  Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, you alone have triumphed over all heresies; you have believed the message of Gabriel, and Archangel, and remaining a Virgin, you brought forth the God-Man.
Through you, Mother of God, the life that we lost was given back to us, for when you received from heaven Him Who became your Son, you bestowed on the world its Savior. 
Holy and immaculate Virgin!  How shall I praise you as I ought?  You have carried in your womb Him Whom heaven could not contain! 
Mary speaks:
"Behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; because He Who is mighty has done great things for me" Luke 1, 48

Hail, O Star of the ocean,


God's own Mother blest,

ever sinless Virgin,

gate of heav'nly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave,

which from Gabriel came,

peace confirm within us,

changing Eve's name. .

Break the sinners' fetters,

make our blindness day,

Chase all evils from us,

for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother,

may the Word divine

born for us thine Infant

hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling,

mildest of the mild,

free from guilt preserve us

meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless,

make our way secure

till we find in Jesus,

joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father,

honor to the Son,

in the Holy Spirit,

be the glory one. Amen.

Pray for us, holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.  O god, You wanted Your Word to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the message of an angel; grant that we, Your humble servants, who believe her to be truly Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with You. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Birthday Evelyn!

My sunshine is 9!  She is a happy little girl.  I got her a watch from avon that was perfect says on it "sunshine"  Anyhow, she had a nice day, we got her some markers and pads of paper and some twist type crayons.   Anyway, I made her cake, and it turned out really nice.  She was very surprised. 

Some more fun!!!

St. Patrick from Katelyn
Saint Patrick was born in 387
And was captured in 403
He escaped and went to school

And converted the pagans
The whole entire nation
In the sign of a clover
It said Three Persons in one God
And they were converted

Until the king said, "Oh, no"
And went to put out their fire
But it grew ever stronger
Later he bid the snakes goodbye
From then on Ireland was Catholic.
He died on March 17, 493.

Normal?

So much for going back to normal today-Steve went to work early, early--Rosie cried for 20 minutes for him this morning, then I forgot to eat breakfast, I no longer have a travel coffee cup, traffic and was ten minutes late to school, then came home and the kids are clueless of what to do--is it breakfast--no, is it lunch--no, is it what? so took a walk and now kids are whiney! Wowzers--Where is normal?

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from the kids!

St. Patrick!

http://www.fisheaters.com/customslent4.html

Who's Saint Patrick?   The real Saint Patrick, the miracle, the story, the man, the Saint!  Click the link above and find out!

Poems of St. Patrick

St. Patrick by Carolyn

St. Patrick was taken from his home.

And sold as a slave on the Emerald Isle.

Where, while watching sheep, he did roam,

Among the hills, all the while.

Praying to God for a sign of what to do,

He escaped Ireland to return to the place
Where he originally was, and suddenly he knew.
He must return again, and the heathens he must face.

Oh, Saint Patrick, Patron of Ireland!
Great defender of the Blessed Trinity
With a three leaf clover in your hand,
Pray for me, that I may have peace for all eternity

The Prince of Emerald Isle by Jaclyn
Irish pagans didn't want him to come
Nor did they greet him with smiles.
Little did they know he would become
Their Prince of Emerald Isle.

He told them many times not to sin
Doing prayers and penances all the while
Soon all the Irish started listening to him
For he's their Prince of the Emerald Isle.

The rulers tried telling them he was wrong
Trying to stop him through trickery and beguile
They wouldn't listen but would sing God's song
And he conqured; their Prince of the Emerald Isle

St. Patrick by Joe
Saint Patrick a captured young man
was shipped to Ireland a slave
Sent to the mountains as a shepard hand
In a vision told of those he would save.

First a priest, then a biship; a mission to preach
Back to Ireland he went
The Blessed Trinity he would teach

Thirty three years in Ireland he spent
The shamrock was the key
to teach the people the Blessed Trinity
To teach three in one
understanding to many it brung.

St. Patrick by Evelyn
St. Patrick holds a miter
For the faith he is a fighter
The Blessed Trinity he did teach
The pagans in Ireland he did preach

The Irish and everyone love him much

Because he gives us his holy touch.

(Katelyn's poem to be added tomorrow)

Tony

 Tony is doing great now in his 7th month.
He weighs 20lbs and is 28 1/2 inches long.
His doctor said his reflexes are aobut the best she's
ever seen.  Yeah, for Tony dude!

Novena to St. Joseph begin Fri 3/11 end on 3/19

 "Holy Saint Joseph, who art that good and faithful servant to whom God committed the care of His Family; whom He appointed guardian and protector of the life of Jesus Christ, the comfort and support of His Holy Mother, and co-partner in His great design of the redemption of mankind; thou who had the happiness of living with Jesus and Mary, and of dying in their arms; chaste spouse of the Mother of God; model and patron of pure souls; humble, patient and reserved! Be moved by the confidence we place in thy intercession, and accept with kindness this testimony of our devotion.We give thanks to God for the signal favors He hath been pleased to confer on thee; and we beseech Him, by thy intercession, to make us imitate thy virtues. Pray for us, O great saint! And by that love which thou had for Jesus and Mary, and by the love which Jesus and Mary had for thee, obtain for us ----, and the incomparable happiness of living and dying in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen."

If you start on 3/11 the Novena will end on his feast day of 3/19.

Ash Wednesday

What is Ash Wednesday for?  Simply put--Most importantly, today is a day of fasting and abstinence, a day to recall the most profound truths of our existence. During the day today (everyday, actually), meditate on the fact of your mortality -- what it means, and how to avoid eternal death by believing, repenting, and obeying the Father.

Matthew, Chapter 6

[16] And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. [17] But thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face; [18] That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee. [19] Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. [20] But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal.

[21] For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also

My first attempt at food...mashed potatoes!

A quote...

Cast yourself with confidence into the arms of God; and be very sure of this: that if He wants anything of you He will fit you for your work and give you the strength to do it." St Philip Neri.

Strength of a Man

The Strength of a Man

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.

It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.


The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.

It's in the gentle words he whispers.


The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.

It's how good a buddy he is with his kids.


The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.

It's in how respected he is at home.


The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.

It's in how tender he touches.


The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest.

It's in his Heart ... that lies within his chest.


The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved.

It's in how he can be true to one woman.


The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.

It's in the burdens he can carry.

Some Tony and Mommy!

Still...

We are still not 100% healthy.  Some of the kids are keeping a yucky feeling and low grade temp's.  To say we have had a crabby last month is an understatement.  It doesn't help that this winter is hanging on for dear life.  We are still so cold with a yard full of snow.  There was an ice storm this morning and we couldn't even get the kids to school.  Multiple accidents and even fatalities this morning so we stayed home and called in for their work. 

Steve and I have taken to taking a daily walk.  Even though its cold, it has been refreshing but I tell you, we are absolutely frozen by the time we get home, the little kids come to rub warmth back into my face!  hehe.  We're doing a mile a day. 

Lent is coming up fast, I decided of course the usual sacrifices but I'm going to be working especially hard on the internal devotions.  Being more patient, accepting to God's will, and dealing with life without complaint....guess we'll see how that goes. 

This has been a very frustrating time for us.  Basically we sit and wait for the end of May so we can get on the road in order to feel settled.  This school year has been extremely stressful.  Due to the rising cost of gas I've been having to stay home everyday, and feel seperated from whats going on at the school and with the kids.  Its hard to make plans for things when we won't be here, so its just a time of being patient and helping the kids with their homework, etc.  Packing is always stressful, you never know when to pack what.  Its such hard work, especially when you are moving across country because you don't want to be caught movng day and not be prepared. 

Still waiting for Spring, and so hopeful for it to get going so Steve can bring in as much extra work as he can before we go.  The expenses of moving and getting the kids ready for school at a whole new place is costly, uniforms alone has me worried.  So we'll be doing a novena to St. Joseph for his feast this month.  The job we are still waiting for, is still moving a bit slowly, probably due to this weather, Steve is thinking maybe mid March...I'm praying he's right!  Last year, Steve was so successful in finding lots of sidejobs, for extra money so I'm pretty confident he'll get some stuff done as soon as this weather breaks...Where is that groundhog anyway...haha!  I wonder what kind of summer we are going to have.  Last year was so extreme and then an extreme winter...wonder what this one will be like. 

Anyway, so that's all that's going on here.  Piefest tomorrow.  Katelyn made a homemade cheesecake with strawberry topping.  Carolyn made greek spinach rolls for the main dish category.  Jaclyn made Apple/Cranberry Crunch, and Joe made Strawberry-Rhubarb pie.  I'll have to update y'all this week-end on it.  Tomorrow is the Piefest/Party and kids are so excited to be getting out of the house (so am I!!!) for a little gathering!