I Am the New Year

I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn't find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination. All the good that you tried for and didn't achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires. All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have-these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

--Unknown

Sledding; Looking forward, and back

We decided it was the perfect day to go sledding; steady snow fall, temperatures hovering right around freezing, and almost no wind. We hiked back to our "sledding hill", and had a great time, for the most part. This isn't the greatest picture, but it was the best out of the digital ones I took today.




There are only two days left of 2006 now. I am personally a firm believer in New Year's resolutions. I am all too aware of how much I need to improve myself, and I think that from a psychological point of view habits are easier to start and/or break at the beginning of another year. I've been thinking a lot about what my 2007 resolutions will be, and in the meantime I am also thinking back over 2006. It was such an amazing year for us. We've come to the conclusion that it was far too good to be bad, but almost too bad to be good. In reality, even our sufferings should be counted as blessings, but how hard it sometimes is to feel that way! However, I believe that this year has brought us another year closer to our goals as a family, and closer to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. That is certainly something to be grateful for, as well as something to strive for in the coming year.

God bless!

Merry Christmas

All of our family and friends are in our prayers every day, but I especially pray for grace to pour down on you all during this holy Christmas season.

Today is the feast of St. John the Beloved, and it is also the second day of Christmas. As the pastor at one of our former parishes used to say, "Don't you dare throw out the tree the day after Christmas like the pagans do!" A single holiday weekend can't possibly be adequate to contemplate the mystery of the Word made Flesh. And so I offer the following prayer.

Today, in my own private way, I want to join in the message that the angels sang: 'Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people of goodwill'. I am happy that you, Christ, were born for me and for all humankind. I'd like my life to reflect your peace and your goodwill. I'd love to be fully aware of the meaning of the mystery of your birth on earth. You are the true light that enlightens all. All that comes into the world has light through you. Every living thing has life through you, the Light that shines in the dark; the Light which the powers of darkness cannot overcome. You came to your people, who did not accept you. But to those who did accept you, you gave them power to become children of God. I am one of those children. I accepted you in baptism. I need your help to remain one of your faithful followers and to relish all the days of my life the full meaning of this tremendous phrase: 'The Word became flesh and lived among us'. Amen.

God bless!

All Is Well

I haven't been at the computer much the last few days. Chuck is home for the holidays, we picked him up Sunday, and being with the family is so much more satisfying. It makes me really long to have him home with us all the time, and hopefully we will be inspired to work harder and pray more to make that happen soon.

I've been looking forward all month to the first White Christmas that I've seen since I was a kid. I'm starting to wonder if that will happen. There is very little snow on the ground- a few dirty mounds formed by shovel or plow, but lots of bare patches of grass (still green!) showing through. Today is supposed to get up to 45, and there is very little snow in the forecast for the next week. I suppose it is fortunate to have a mild winter our first year here.

God bless you all!

A Busy Week

We have had such a fun and busy time this week. The big news is that we are now the proud owners of three Icelandic sheep! We had them delivered to our friends' place until we can get some fence installed. They are beautiful sheep, and I'll be sure to share pictures and introductions once they are here. (In the meantime, here is a LINK to some info on this breed if you are curious.)

But the best news is that we will be picking Chuck up at the airport and bringing him home for the holidays. He deserves a vacation after working so hard for so long! We are praying for safe flight and good driving weather. It is fortunate that this winter has been extremely mild. There is hardly any snow on the ground right now, and the temperatures have been cold but not extreme, and certainly not the below-zero temperatures I had expected to have this time of year. I am thankful for that.

Tomorrow is Gaudete Sunday. A day to "rejoice" because Our Lord's coming draws near and, indeed, He is already among us. I have been fighting feelings of sadness the last week or so. I am sorry that rather than celebrating our daughter's first Christmas, we are celebrating our first Christmas without her. Chuck's grandpa passed away this year, too, and I do wish we could be with Grandma. Life is so strange; so much pain and grief and beauty and joy. This is indeed a "valley of tears" and yet this season gives us the opportunity to become like little children and see the world with eyes full of wonder and hope. I am especially praying for everyone who is suffering with the loss of a loved one this season; I pray that God will fill the emptiness and heal the pain. And may He fill our hearts with joy.

God bless!

Time Flies

If time flies when you're having fun, we must be having a wonderful time! I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post.

The sad thing is, I can't exactly account for what we've done with the last few days. School lessons, mealtimes (and cleaning up afterwards), playing in the snow, moving firewood from one place to another... Somehow these few activities just about fill up our day. I simply have to get more organized, and this is a never-ending battle. Am I gonna be a FlyBaby or a crybaby? At least I can say that we are constantly improving, little by little.

I pray that we all have a blessed second week of Advent. Come, Lord Jesus! God bless!

Good Saint Anthony

"Good Saint Anthony, rally round; something's lost that must be found."

Our homestead is named in honor of St. Anthony of Padua, a man from a wealthy background who gave up family and a comfortable life in favor of becoming a Franciscan priest and missionary. He is known as "the Miracle Worker", and popular belief says that he was graced with visits from the Christ Child. I am blessed to feel his presence in our lives.

Since we are constantly losing things, I found myself praying to St. Anthony quite often. I am not always praying to find whatever-it-is so much as praying that my frustration would be calmed and I wouldn't do or say anything I'd regret. Usually it works, although I never did recover an anniversary band that disappeared off the kitchen counter back in Alabama. That's okay, Brother Anthony; I don't hold it against you!

So St. Anthony and I were already friendly when, back in April, a solicitation from a Catholic organization placed his medal and a novena prayer in our mail box. At the time we were praying and hoping to be able to move over the summer. Chuck's situation at work was on the verge of unbearable, and his stress affected us all. We were, in a word, miserable. I began the novena that very day and wore the medal throughout, praying that St. Anthony would help us find our way. We felt that we were truly lost.

A few days after the novena ended, a way for us to move to the UP was opened. As certain arrangments fell into place we decided we would move in mid-June. I thought that Tuesday would be the best day; we would be able to attend Mass and rest on Sunday, pick up the U-Haul and pack on Monday, and leave early Tuesday. That schedule would also get us to Michigan before the next weekend, and our first Sunday there would be Father's Day. Without consulting a calendar I presented this plan to Chuck, and he agreed that it seemed perfect. Imagine how we felt to discover that the move date we had selected- the Tuesday in the middle of June- was the feast day of St. Anthony! We were (and still are!) very grateful that God sent us this bit of confirmation.

For my birthday this November (the big three-oh) Chuck bought me a St. Anthony relic locket from the Cukierski Family Apostolate. Inside this locket is a very small piece of grey felt that has been touched to the first-class relics of St. Anthony. One Sunday, I noticed that the locket had come open, and the relic was missing! Oh, I was so sad that I had lost it, and really dreading having to tell Chuck it was gone. The children and I looked everywhere in the house, but I didn't really hope to find it. Still, I said a prayer to St. Anthony, hoping that it had dropped in a place where it would rest safely. Later in the afternoon the kids and I were sweeping out the garage. Daniel was using the dustpan and a little broom when he cried out "There it is!" And surely enough, he had found my little tiny relic (which is now secured in the locket with a bit of thread). That isn't exactly miraculous, I know. But it still makes me believe that St. Anthony is with us in a special way.

St. Anthony, pray for us!

God bless!

My New Obsession

I am beginning to understand why folks in the north are obsessed with the weather. This is true despite the fact that the weather forecast is pretty monotonous. A chance of snow showers. A slight chance of snow showers. Snow showers likely. Snow flurries today turning to good-luck-finding-the-mailbox by midnight. You get the idea. So if it starts to seem that all I talk about is the snow, you will just have to try to understand that I can’t help it. This is all new to me.

We had a really good day today. After a morning of working around the house and doing lessons, we spent a good deal of the afternoon outside. Our driveway was plowed this morning, but we still had some clearing to do. After shoveling for about 15 minutes I had to take off my coat and hat. The sun was beating down (for a while, at least) and it was almost 20 degrees; much too “warm” for full winter attire.

When I put the kids to bed just about an hour ago the sky was cloudy, but not so much that we couldn’t see the full moon rising from the east-facing upstairs window. Just now I thought that I would step outside, but when I flipped on the porch light (I’m in the habit of always turning on the light to take a look before I step out- in the country you never know what creature might be on your doorstep!) snow was coming down hard and thick. Already it has become difficult to distinguish where we shoveled and where we didn’t. It is just as amazing to me as it is beautiful.

God bless!

Happy New Year!

No, this greeting isn't premature; today is the first day of a new church year. This is my favorite time to make resolutions of a spiritual nature. Mine for this year is to really commit to praying a family rosary every night. This is something we've tried to do for about four years now, but we haven't been consistent. I would never send the kids to bed without dinner, or without their bedime routine. Skipping bedtime prayers should be just as unthinkable, and many promises are attached to the faithful recitation of the family rosary.

We have been getting a lot of snow here, but it is a gentle snow. I hope this gives some reassurance to our family in Tulsa. They were hit by a pretty serious ice/snow storm this week. I have never seen such a nice, light, and fluffy snow. It is like goose down falling from the sky. I would guess we have about 8 inches, but that is just a guess. I may already be picking up the Yooper tendancy toward exaggeration of the snow.

I also want to take a chance to wish my little neice and god-daughter a Happy Birthday tomorrow! We love you and will be keeping you in our hearts on your special day!

God bless!

Last-Minute Advent

I hate shopping, and neither am I a crafty person, so I can’t really say I go “all out” for the Christmas season. I do, however, love the simple traditions of Advent. This Christmas in our first home will be a very special one, and I am looking forward to waiting and preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ with the children. Advent truly is as meaningful and fun as Christmas; what a pity more people don’t take time to experience it.

That does not mean, however, that I have carefully prepared for the season of Advent. Oh, no. Those of you who knew me as a child (precious, wasn’t I!) will probably not be surprised by the following statement. I am a terrible procrastinator. Actually, I like to think I work well under last-minute pressure.

The box of decorations has been sitting on a shelf in the garage since the move. I first remembered the Sunday before Thanksgiving that Advent would be starting soon and I needed to check and see if I had any candles. I remembered again last Sunday and even went so far as to move the box from the shelf to the floor of the garage. But since I didn’t have a knife handy, I couldn’t cut the tape. And so I forgot about it until today.

Naturally, when I opened the box today (by just ripping the tape off, of course) I discovered (gasp!) we have no advent candles. I felt a little like I did back in 7th grade when there were two days until the science fair- the one that was worth 25% of the semester grade- and I still hadn’t even told Mom I needed a large sheet of posterboard and five seedlings at various stages of development. That slightly sick “better figure something out” feeling is the pressure I work oh-so-well under.

I’m hoping that the church office will be selling candles. Or if not, just maybe I can find the proper candles at one of the three shopping places in town. However I’m pretty sure that by Sunday afternoon I will be at the computer putting in an emergency order for candles. Perhaps I better order several years’ worth. With any luck, given the reliability of the mail system this time of year, I might get my candles before the Feast of the Presentation. In the meantime, I could do what we did three years ago (the lack of Advent candles is definitely a trend) and make “candles” out of construction paper. We could, that is, if we had any construction paper. I've been meaning to stock up on that, too.

And don’t even get me started on why we have no nativity set…

You can tell (hopefully!) that I am seeing the humor in this. I am so glad I can laugh about these little things. Nothing has to be perfect except my sincere intentions and faithful perseverance. What we are lacking in advent candles and Christmas statuary, I hope we will make up for by presenting our hearts as a warm resting place for Joseph, Mary, and the Infant Jesus. May the Prince of Peace reign in all our hearts as we prepare to celebrate His birth!

God bless!

Let it Snow!

It is the last day of November, and I think winter has finally arrived to the UP. We've had snow pretty steadily all day, and there is snow in the forecast for the rest of the week. (Over the summer we asked a neighbor if it snows every day in the winter. "Oh, no,not every day," he answered, "just six or seven days a week.") It is so exciting for us! Over Thanksgiving weekend two years ago we were still wearing t-shirts!

We woke up to temps in the lower teens this morning, and it wasn't too cold inside even though the fire had gone out. I am thankful that we have wood heat (and lots of dried fire wood!) because that means we can stay cozy no matter what happens to the electricity.

God bless!

Back, thank God!

I'm always amazed at how much gets done around here whenever I am, for any reason, forced away from the computer. It is almost a shame the thing got fixed... almost.

The wiring for our well was fixed yesterday. One thing I noticed while our water was out is how very wasteful a toilet is. We had to pour four gallons of drinkable water into the tank to get it to flush just once. Four gallons! That's at least a day's worth of drinking water for our whole family, just to wash away you-know-what. Who decided that was a good idea?

We've still had unseasonably warm weather, but it will soon come to an end. We had flurries on Monday that had melted off by this morning. Or was that snow showers? I still haven't figured out the difference between snow showers and snow flurries, although they are both mentioned seperately in the weather report. Maybe I'll find out soon since more snow is moving in over the next few days.

Stay warm, and God bless!

Water

Something shorted out in the well today and we've been without running water for a few hours. A few long hours! Hopefully we'll be able to get it back up and running tomorrow after a visit to the hardware store. In the meantime one of our friends drove over to bring seven gallons of drinking water and see if he might be able to help.

Running water would be considered quite the extraordinary luxury by most of the world, even today. Many people must go to great trouble to bring home water we probably wouldn't even consider drinkable! Meanwhile we can blissfully assume that clean (even hot) water will instantly appear with the turn of a faucet at any time we need or want it. Going without running water is just a small glimpse of what everyday life is like for most of the world's population. However, a big difference is that they were prepared, and I wasn't!

From now on, running water will definitely be on my list of things to be grateful for. And having none will be on my list of things to prepare for!

God bless!

Leftovers

I'm no "freezer queen" by any stretch of the imagination, and yet there is something extremely satisfying in creating new meals out of food that otherwise might get fed to the dog or (gasp!) thrown away.

Turkey Leftovers Rule #1 is never, never throw away the bones! If you do you are throwing away valuable nutrition. Pick all the meat you can off of them (what to do with the meat will follow), put them in a big stock pot, and cover them with water. Add a dash of something acidic- vinegar will work, but I use EM's for added benefit. The acidity helps leach the minerals out of the bones. Bring this to a boil, skim off the foam, and then turn the stove down as low as you can without turning it off. The stock should be just barely and gently bubbling. Let this stay on the stove for at least a couple hours and up to a day or two. Really, the longer the better. You will then want to strain it into another pot. Let the stock cool before putting it in the fridge. After it has been in the fridge long enough to get cold take it out to remove the fat. The fat forms on the top, and your broth will hopefully resemble jello.

You have now made three products out of those bones. First, is the stock which is much better and more healthful than Campbell's. Second is the fat which you can use to make turkey gravy. Melt the fat in a saucepan and mix in an approximately equal amount of flour. Heat this up until it starts to bubble and then pour in stock, or if you want a creamy gravy use milk. The amount of liquid you use will depend on how much stock and flour you had, but generally 3 Tbsp fat and 3 Tbsp flour will thicken 1 Cup of liquid. Whether you use stock or milk it is extremely important to stir the whole time! When it starts to bubble it is as thick as it gets. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sage. The third product is the bones themselves which will probably be extremely soft. These bones can be mashed and fed to your cats and/or dogs, or at least composted into the garden. Turkey Leftovers Rule #1 still applies!

Here is something I invented a few years that I call "Leftovers Casserole". Like many families, mine has come to love and expect the Green Bean Casserole so cleverly marketed as a traditional Thanksgiving dish (although I don't remember ever seeing it until a few years ago). If you have leftover green beans, mix in turkey and the fried onions that were on top. You could top this with more fried onion, but I top it with leftover stuffing. Heat in the oven until hot.

Another good turkey casserole is a recipe that I got from a book Eat Well for $50 a Week and improved, if I say so myself. I'll give you my version. It is a casserole in four layers, first stuffing pressed in on the bottom, then pieces of turkey, then broccoli, then a cheese sauce. I prefer to make my own cheese sauce, but you could also use melted velveeta if you must. Just be sure to grease the casserole dish well or you'll never be able to lift it out.

Other options for leftover turkey are soups, stir fry, creamy salad and sandwiches. Personally I love a turkey sandwich with honey mustard and pickles on homemade bread! Yum!

In my oven right now I have the leftovers casserole and a sweet potato something that I just invented. I whipped three eggs with some milk and honey (I love cooking without measuring- it's so adventurous!), then mixed in my leftover sweet potatoes with some pecans. I sprinkled cinnamon over the top. It's in the oven right now, so I'll have to let you know how that turns out.

Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless!

Computer Complaints and Giving Thanks

It pains me to share the news that our computer is sick. In fact, I'm afraid it might be 'terminal'. (Sorry, I truly couldn't resist!) The poor thing won't even turn on; it only beeps out an SOS signal in a half-hearted way as if it knows in the depths of its circuitry just how ignorant about computers I am and therefore how desperate its own situation is. Fortunately, Chuck and his laptop are home for the long holiday weekend.

Tomorrow is the day- the biggest cooking marathon of the year. Our kitchen is as ready as it could possibly be, considering the youth and reluctance of my clean-up crew. There is a huge turkey thawing in the sink. There are enough bread crumbs to stuff a pillow. I have purchased approximately five pounds of pecans and 10 pounds of sweet potatoes. All the recipes I shall need are filed neatly in my mind, and I have carefully planned the sequence of their execution. It will be messy, busy, exhausting, and at times chaotic with hungry kids and cats under my feet. I will have too many helpers and not enough patience. It will be the perfect opportunity to thank the Lord in all things.

Here's wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

God bless!

Have Nice Baby's in Dinotopia!!!!!

A friend of ours loaned us several of the Dinotopia books. The stories are good, but the fascinating details of the Dinotopia world are brought alive in the beautiful paintings of James Gurney. It is just what Raechel needed to add fresh life to her long-standing fascination with dinosaurs (and monsters).

This picture, executed in crayon and ball point pen, graced the inside of my birthday card on Sunday.

The caption reads, "Have nice baby's in Dinotopia!!!!!" It was inspired, no doubt, by one illustration in the first book that showed a "Nanny" dinosaur holding two little babies resting in side-saddles hanging from her back. As for the meaning of the cryptic message, I'm not sure. But it is interesting that she considers "have nice baby's" an appropriate birthday greeting for me.

God bless!

40 Acres and a Dog

The deal used to be 40 acres and a mule, but we got a dog. I guess that makes him the first of our homestead animals, a distinction he seems worthy of. His name is Snickers (despite Amanda's suggestion we change his name to Mule) and we're told he is part hound and part Alaskan husky. He is a medium-large dog, about 22 inches to the shoulder, and has a very friendly disposition. Best of all, he's used to living outside year round. Robert piled some good, clean straw in his dog house for bedding so he should be able to keep warm. His former owner said you could tell when spring was coming because Snickers would start kicking the straw out of his doghouse.

Yesterday was the first day of deer season, and my neighbor has been very disappointed so far. Somebody up the road shot the one buck that had been seen in the area, but he didn't see one single deer. I could almost have gotten one on the way home from town today, but the deer's timing was better than my aim. Oh, well. A van full of kids is not the recommended hunting gear anyway.

I also had a lesson in the local lingo today. "Slickery." As in, "It's starting to sleet so you better head home before it gets slickery." I'm starting to think that Yoopers are just rednecks with frostbite.

God bless!

Now what are we going to do?

"Okay, Lord, we're here. Now what?"

We spent a lot of time in prayer and research before deciding to move. But following the UP's weather online and checking out books about livestock from the library is probably going to be inadequate preparation for the reality. That's okay; I'm steeling myself for the worst while hoping for the best.

But there are so many questions! How do I know what kind of animals we want to keep? Which chickens will be hardy and yet give good meat and eggs? Would we be able to get used to goat's milk if we decide a cow is too big an investment? If we try meat rabbits will the kids be willing to eat them? And I still haven't figured out where the garden will be much less what I might try to grow in it. We certainly have a lot to learn; it seems pitiful when I consider these are things that would have been second nature just two generations ago!

I remember back when I was a kid and Dad got a motorcycle. What a treat it was to go for a ride, clinging to Dad's back like a baby monkey! I didn't always know where we would go, although every once in a while he would ask whether I wanted to turn right or left. Occasionally the ride was too cold, or windy. Sometimes it was all too easy to imagine myself losing my hold on Dad and falling off, so I would hold on that much tighter. I didn't have to worry about the traffic, the weather, or keeping our balance. I just had to hold on tight to my Dad- let him worry about those things for me- and enjoy the ride.

God bless!

How did we get here?

We started our journey to the UP (that is, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) about five years ago, although we didn't have a clue at the time! The improbability of us landing here is surely proof that amazing things happen when you put your trust in God!

Back in 2000, we were living with our three kids just outside the stately city of Charleston, South Carolina. We were on our way; a beautiful townhouse, good schools, and plans for furnishing and "bettering" our lives. For the first time in our lives, we were able to buy our kids all the things they "needed". We could go out to eat whenever we wanted. We had some money in savings and were tithing... well, most weeks we were giving something to church anyway. We had come through a very rough patch and were pointing ourselves on the road to a bright future. Or were we? Chuck was traveling and therefore out of town for up to 55 out of every 60 days. He was literally risking his life, health, and safety with 100+ hour weeks and swing shifts. The kids missed him terribly when he was gone, and it made him miserable to return home and see how much the kids were growing, how very much he was missing out on.

We made a decision that was a major turning point in our lives. We decided that the nice townhouse, the cute little car, the nice clothes, even the money in the bank was not worth the toll it took on our time together. A job opened up in Alabama, and we moved. It meant a huge paycut (about 33%) but it also meant dinner as a family every night and Sunday Mass all together.

The transition wasn't easy. It felt like we were just coming up out of the poorhouse, and then choosing to jump right back in. But we knew it was best for us, for our family. Our time together is so short and much too precious to squander for any amount of overtime.

Slowly but surely our priorities changed. Millbrook was small enough to give us the feel of living "in the country" but big enough that we longed to really be in the country. I started desiring to declutter, not only our home, but our hearts. I shunned shopping and driving into town started to give me a creepy feeling. It is no coincidence that at this same time we began homeschooling, opening up even more time for us as a family and giving us more control over raising our children. Neither is it a coincidence that I began meeting friends online and in real life who shared the same vision and goals that were developing within us. We wanted so badly to committ ourselves to a completely Christian life; to embrace Lady Poverty and put ourselves and our children on the path to simplicity and holiness.

God is good! We put all our trust in Him, and He is certainly carrying us on His shoulders. Six months ago we were living in a trailer park in Alabama with almost no savings and barely enough income to last until the next paycheck. Now we are living in a 4-bedroom house on our own 40 acres!

The only downside is that Chuck must travel for work. We have come full circle with that; I think his previous years on the road were a preparation for this. We knew what it was like back then, but so far it is completely different this time. I think the difference lies in the fact that our focus has changed. Our goal is not to make as much money as possible; rather our goal is to get to where we don't need as much. When Chuck is gone, we both have our work to do. When he is home, he isn't as much consumed by the job; he can focus his energies on being here with us until he must leave again. But we sincerely hope that God will lead us to a way to someday keep him home for good.

For more about the Community of the Holy Family, and the Home n'Stead mission, please visit their homepage.
God bless!

Launching St. Anthony's Acres!

This is to be my first adventure in blogging. I intend to use this space as a journal of our progress toward homesteading and simplifying, as well as a diary of the joys (and trials!) we will surely experience as part of this drastic change in our lifestyle. Hopefully this will allow my family and friends to know what is going on with us, up here in the northern wilderness of Michigan! I hope I will even meet some new friends.

God bless,