Pinewood Castle

For Next Week

The other St. Martin (of Tours)

Our favorite story-song:

Download Circle Time Plans - St. Martin

Lanterns:

using a round cheese box as a base

using jelly jars

paper mache balloon lanterns

A local event we just might attend:

November 8th at the Landmark Center, downtown St. Paul

Saint Martin's Day Celebration
Musser Cortile | 4pm | FREE
Rice Park is transformed into a flickering early winter wonderland during this celebration of German traditions and treats. Celebrate with spirit of giving and commemorate the generous spirit of St. Martin through lantern-making and a parade through Rice Park at dusk, led by St. Martin and his trusty horse. Please bring items to donate to Joseph’s Coat.

Photos to share from years past:

 

 

Our Saints in Training

Blessed Karteri Tekiwitha

St. John Vianney

Little Cherub

St. Lucy/Santa Lucia

For Tomorrow

Feast of St. Martin de Porres - Peanut Butter Mice!

Prayer for All All Souls Day

Commemoration of all the faithful departed saints in Purgatory.

O God, bountiful in forgiving, and lovingly desirous of man's salvation, we humbly beseech Thy mercy in behalf of our friends, relations and benefactors who have passed from this world, that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary ever virgin and all the saints, Thou wouldst permit them to come to the full participation of everlasting happiness. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for All Saints Day

The Church today honors all Saints, those holy souls who, during life, loved Jesus and strove to imitate Him and to practice His virtues.

Almighty and everlasting God, You have granted us to venerate in one solemn feast the merits of all Your Saints; we beseech You, that since so many people are praying for us, You would pour forth upon us the desired abundance of Your mercy. Through Jesus Christ out Lord, Amen.

I Think the End is Near

Of the flu, that is. Not the world.

Even though we are having yet another dark and rainy day.

Since I have been out of the house once in the last eleven days I'm setting up a breakfast date with a friend for Saturday.

The last fever appeared in Sunshine's tired little body yesterday at lunch. No one has a fever today. Yet.

At least two of us are still coughing. Last night as I was putting fresh sheets on the children's beds I coughed so hard I tooted. My husband laughed at me and of course got me laughing too. Laughing and coughing so hard I could hardly breath and my head hurt. It was quite the memorable moment.

Really, though, isn't it a privilege to nurse your children through illness? To smooth their brow, bring them a cold cloth for their feverish forehead, administer medicine and just rub their back and let them know how much you love them. That's what mom's are for. I know I still want my mom when I am sick. Somewhere I heard that wounded soldiers on the battlefield call out for their mothers, not their wives. I want to be that kind of mom, don't you?

My problem is that I feel so guilty when I am sick as well and cannot attend to their needs as well as I would like. I get into airplane survival mode and take care of myself first. I am known to take the last of the orange juice, or the last oscillococcinum. Selfish creature am I. 

I am also feeling extra cranky about going to OB checks and waiting in the same waiting room with sick patients. Why should pregnant women, who are considered high risk for H1N1 increase their risk by sharing space with infected patients, masks or no masks? We came down with this three days after my last appointment. Maybe that's not where the bug came from, but it sure makes me wonder how many appointments I can skip. It also tempts me to reconsider home birth. I really would if I were not so messy in labor. My water breaks first, I vomit and I have such terrible back labor that I am resigned to getting an epidural after experiencing three excruciating labors and one manageable epidural labor. In the meantime I fantasize about clinics offering separate waiting areas for sick/well patients.

Anyway.

We are now stocked up with elderberry and echinacea if a flu bug should strike twice this season. Puffs with lotion we need more of. Ditto Emergen-C and Lemon Ginger Echinacea juice.

Hope you are well. Guard your immunity!

More Fall Fun

In between coughs and fevers . . .

Pumpkin treat bag - kits from Oriental Trading Co

Leaf Mat weaving from Oriental Trading

Pumpkin grid drawing from mathwire.com -

beeswax candle rolling kit from Magic Cabin

still life

ideas from Jamie

Hope you are having a wonderful fall day!

Is It Too Late . . .

to get rid of this crud?

I am not sure if we have the flu or bad colds. Everyone has had a fever except me. Everyone except DH is still coughing. That's all I have heard all day - the sound of coughing and PBS. All day, meaning since 1:30 pm when I finally woke up. I have never slept that long in my life. I've been coughing for seven days straight.

DH went to the store for elderberry, echinachea, and more soup,  juice and kleenex. I hope the end is near!

Cancelled

Ever have one of those weeks? We had to cancel piano lessons, violin lessons, make-up piano lessons, my hair appointment, our babysitter and our birthday date. I didn't feel well enough to make my DH's favorite potato-cheese soup on his birthday or make a birthday cake for either of us. At this moment, he is making a quick trip to the cities to sell our tickets to tonight's A Prairie Home Companion show.

Even though Joe's bout with a fever earlier this week left him run down, he still helped out with the rest of us. I felt like I had bricks in my head for three days, unable to accomplish anything but a lot of moaning and lying about on the sofa or in bed. I am still stopped up and coughing way too much to sit through a live radio show without being kicked out. All the other kids have taken a turn with this, suffering through fevers and congestion. We managed to celebrate Joe's birthday in a very understated sort of way. His birthday dinner featured home-made chicken soup instead of his dairy-laden favorite. And of course he received plenty of hand made gifts ~

 

King of the Castle

He even had planned to take off a few days to paint the den and get some household tasks checked off, only to take over as head nurse instead. Now that we are staying home today, the den might still get it's promised new coat. See the red on the left? I hope that will brighten up this north-facing room.

I am really trying not to pout about this perfectly planned and much anticipated week being canceled. Sometimes you just have to suffer the loss with grace. We will just have to reschedule our birthday celebrations for next week. At least that can be rescheduled, unlike actually birthing-due-dates. A friend of mine who is due next week and several of her children have been sick with the flu. So please, if you would be so kind, would you send a few prayers Tricia's way that her children recover before their new baby arrives? Thanks. I knew you would.

Last Weekend's Fun