My (Very) Early Christmas Gift

So for a long time we've been talking about getting a second car, so that I can you know, go grocery shopping during the day and not on the weekend! We've had good luck with our two previous Hyundais, and when the 2007 Santa Fe came out, we both really liked it. But, it was a bit pricey (not as far as SUVs go, but just more than we paid for cars before) and I'd been trying to figure out if we could justify spending that much just for little old me. Then the gas prices shot up and I almost gave up the idea of getting one at all.

Last month or so, I was browsing Carmax and saw some great deals on fairly new Santa Fes, so I kept my eye out. Then last week I looked, and they were suddenly all gone! Just to make sure I checked again this past Sunday, and a 2008 Santa Fe with only 10K miles on it was listed for an extremely reasonable price, not much more really than what we'd paid for our other cars! And to top it off, it was silver, my favorite car color! So we talked it over and decided to go for it a bit early...

And here she is! :-)







It's really kind of hard to believe I can just walk out and go somewhere during the day, lol! Not that I really plan to all that often, but it's just nice having the option there. :-) I'll never have to wake up early to drop Camille off at work again if I need to go somewhere, woohoo!

Rosaries for Life

Check out Rosaries for Life, which started out as this blog, and if you feel so inclined pledge to pray the rosary every day until the inauguration for the intention, as Archbishop Wuerl stated, “That our nation’s new leaders be guided in their decisions with wisdom and compassion and at the heart of all of their decisions may there be a deep respect for and commitment to the sanctity and dignity of all human life and support for the most vulnerable among us.”

The original idea was to start on November 10th and go through January 20th, but you can either start now and go to the end, or do a couple to catch up. If you can't do a rosary every day, pledge to do one a week. Or even just one!

Whatever you do, let's join together in prayer for our country!

Post Election Obama Zombies

Lol, saw this on Mark Shea's blog...gotta love The Onion!


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

And It's Over.

Finally...

The Obama supporters got their wish. I truly, genuinely hope I'm wrong in my belief that this means the death of so many more unborn children, children that I would give anything to raise as my own while we wait with empty, aching arms as unwanted children are being disposed of as trash legally in our country.

I hope all of us, especially those who hoped for an Obama victory, will be on our knees in fervent prayer the day he fulfills his promise and signs the FOCA, undoing and forbidding any and all restrictions for the murder of children nation wide.

May God forgive us our most heinous sins, and may our future president's heart be softened toward the most defenseless among us.

Election Novena - Day Nine

The prayer in podcast form.

Ninth Day

Opening Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.


Reading

Mt 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with
what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are
the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be
hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a
bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light
to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
heavenly Father.”


Reflection

How am I salt for my community?
How do I shine your light for all the community to see?
What deeds am I performing in order to glorify God?


Prayer

Lord Jesus,
you give us your love and your grace
to do great things.
Give us the faith
to shine our light
by walking humbly
and acting justly
before our God.

Amen.


Novena Prayer

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.

Amen.

Stinkin' ADORABLE!!!

Mark Shea posted one of these videos on his blog, and I went and watched all of them. They are SO cute!! They're recordings of little Irish children telling Bible stories set to animation, lol. I could listen to the accents all day, so so cute!

Birth of Jesus



John the Baptist



Lol, I love "Are ya reeeally God or are ya a ssshhhhhockin' holy saint?"

Election Novena - Day Eight

The prayer in podcast form.

Eighth Day

Opening Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.


Reading

Is 32:15-18

Until the spirit from on high
is poured out on us.

Then will the desert become an orchard
and the orchard be regarded as a forest.

Right will dwell in the desert
and justice abide in the orchard.

Justice will bring about peace;
right will produce calm and security.

My people will live in peaceful country,
in secure dwellings and quiet resting places.


Reflection

How do I recognize the Spirit’s involvement in my life in
the community?


Prayer

Spirit of God,
fill our hearts with peace
so that we may bring peace to our community.

Amen.


Novena Prayer

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.

Amen.

Election Novena - Day Seven

The prayer in podcast form.

Seventh Day

Opening Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.


Reading

Ephesians 4:1-6

I . . . urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call
you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to
preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one
hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and
in all.


Reflection

What divisions exist in my community? What structures in
society seem unjust?
How am I striving to achieve justice and peace in my
neighborhood, church, and nation?


Prayer

God of justice,
we are created in your image.
May we glorify you in all of our actions.

Amen.


Novena Prayer

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.

Amen.

Happy All Saints' Day!

Hope your All Saints' Eve (aka Halloween) was a good one! Here's a fun little song for All Saints Day. :-)

Election Novena - Day Six

The prayer in podcast form.

Sixth Day

Opening Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in us the fire of your love.


Reading

Mt 5:43-46

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your
enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his
sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on
the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you,
what recompense will you have?”

Reflection

Who are my enemies? How do I love them?
How do I live up to the definition Jesus provides for living
a Christian lifestyle, a life of Christian love?


Prayer

God of peace,
Give us the courage
to be reconciled with our neighbors, our enemies.
Give us the vision
to truly see what it means to be a Christian
so that peace and justice may rule in our world.

Amen.


Novena Prayer

Immaculate Heart of Mary,
help us to conquer the menace of evil,
which so easily
takes root in the hearts of the people of today,
and whose immeasurable effects
already weigh down upon our modern world
and seem to block the paths toward the future.
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from
every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against human life from its very beginning,
deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the
children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both
national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God,
deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of
God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ,
this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual
human beings,
laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin:
individual sin and the “sin of the world,”
sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world
the infinite saving power of the redemption:
the power of merciful love.
May it put a stop to evil.
May it transform consciences.
May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope.

Amen.