O Rex Gentium

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

December 22
	King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof! O Corner-stone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth! Latin O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O Oriens

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

December 21
	Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death! Latin O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Clavis David

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

December 20
	Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. Latin O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; cla

O Radix Jesse

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

December 19
	Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry. Latin O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 62)

Making a List Edition

One week until Christmas!  This week’s Quick Takes entry is a “making a list” edition…

We are unsure about whether or not SuperSoldier will make it back for Christmas.  It looks like a quick deployment is on the horizon for him, so I hope he comes even more than I did a week ago!  If he comes, there are 8 or 10  of his friends whom he’d like to invite over for Christmas dinner.  These are soldiers he trained with who are stationed here.  It would be nice to know if he (and they!) are coming.  If I’m having 8 – 10 guests for Christmas dinner, I will need to take out a second turkey (have you seen a soldier devour a home cooked meal?!)  Whether or not his friends come will also determine how many pies I need to bake and whether or not I need to make up some extra stockings.

~1~

Friday

• Take out turkey to thaw
• Bake sugar cookies
• Double check gifts
• Put up “O Adonai” “ornament”

~2~

Saturday

• Bake Vanille Kipferl
• Sort stocking stuff
• Buy stocking stuffer stuff if necessary
• Put up “O Radix Jesse” ornament
• Mix up triple batch of sugar cookie dough
• ATTEND MASS AT A PARISH IN ANOTHER TOWN!  THE RITE OF ACCEPTANCE FOR THAT PARISH TAKES PLACE TODAY!!!  I am sponsoring my friend, K.  What an exciting time!!!

~3~

Sunday

• Bake lots of sugar cookies!!!
• Put up “O Clavis David” ornament

~4~

Monday

• Decorate cookies with KC’s kids (oops, put this on the wrong day!) Put piping on sugar cookies
• Put up “O Oriens” ornament
• Find the girls something to wear on Christmas (yes, very late, thankyouverymuch ~ but hey, *I* have something to wear!)

~5~

Tuesday

• Put up “O Rex Gentium”
• Decorate cookies with KC’s kids
• Hopefully know if I should take out a second turkey and hopefully take it out!
• Bake chocolate Crinkles

~6~

Wednesday

• Put up “O Emmanuel” ornament
• Go to the commissary for last minute food items
• Bake Peanut Blossoms
• Bake bonbon cookies/Mexican wedding cookies
• Buy BEER!

~7~

Thursday

• Turn all O Antiphon ornaments to show “Ero Cras” —“Tommorow I Come”
• Roast second turkey (if necessary)
• Peel potatoes, make casseroles, prepare stuffing
• Make potato soup
• Pick up rolls from bakery
• Get ham ready for oven
• Go to Vigil Mass
• Begin celebrating Christmas with special dinner and gift exchange
• Santa’s work begins after the kids go to bed

I just love this week.  I love the prayers of the Church, I love the excitement of the children, I love the last of the preparations that we began nearly 4 Sundays ago!  I just love it!

Head over to Jen’s for more 7 Quick Takes

O Adonai

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

December 18
	Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm! Latin O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

Here’s that Video

From Recently Updated

O Antiphons Begin Today

Fish Eaters has a great page on the O Antiphons.

Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence! Latin O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ.

Back Home Again

We’re back home again.  It is so nice to be back with the other kids!

Here are some thoughts from this weekend.  They are not necessarily in order of importance ~ or in any order at all!  There’s just so much floating around in my brain that I’m just going to let it out as it comes!

The snow was lovely.  I’m glad that it doesn’t snow regularly here in our part of Texas, but it was lovely to see and I particularly enjoyed pelting Chief with snowballs when we stopped along the side of the road so I could change my shoes (stupid clogs!)  He enjoying pelting me as well!

The hotel looked kind of “dumpy” from the outside but while the inside was a bit dated (read carpet from the 70’s…) , it was very nice.  It was a little weird that there was a casino on the main floor, but it was nice and it was a decent place.

In case anyone wonders… yes, I did gamble.  I only played the penny slots, though as I was not interested in losing a bunch of money!  However, even though I played the cheap machines, I ended up being $70 ahead.  That was fun.  My father-in-law, though, is apparently an expert!  He took home about $2500 over his “investment.”  Wowsa!

We thought we might get snowed in, but everything was clear enough on Sunday morning for us to get to Reno for our flight.

While I missed the youngest 4 kids, it was really nice to hang out with our older boys for some “adult” time.  Gambling, getting drinks and so on was a lot of fun.  It was also nice to have some time away from home with Chief.  Seeing my parents and my father-in-law was great, too!

The little “ceremony” was, ummmm, interesting and SgtSoldierSon seemed to feel the same way.  He made a funny little comment afterward.  I think we’re all looking forward to the convalidation ~ hopefully soon.

The reception was nice and the food was great.

I had forgotten about the dance for the groom and his mother.  He chose “Simple Man”.  This is originally a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, but he played the Shinedown cover.

Here are the lyrics:

Mama told me when I was young

Come sit beside me, my only son

And listen closely to what I say.

And if you do this

It will help you some sunny day.

Take your time… Don’t live too fast,

Troubles will come and they will pass.

Go find a woman and you’ll find love,

And don’t forget son,

There is someone up above.

(Chorus)

And be a simple kind of man.

Be something you love and understand.

Be a simple kind of man.

Won’t you do this for me son,

If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold

All that you need is in your soul,

And you can do this if you try.

All that I want for you my son,

Is to be satisfied.

(Chorus)

Boy, don’t you worry… you’ll find yourself.

Follow you heart and nothing else.

And you can do this if you try.

All I want for you my son,

Is to be satisfied.

(Chorus)

He said it fit, except that he is not my only son.

Oh, my goodness!  Mrs.SoldierSon was beautiful.  Her dress was gorgeous.

You know, I mostly held it together Saturday just fine.  I completely lost it in the truck on Sunday on the way to the airport.  No one mentioned that this is hard!

And now, on to the pictures.  I’ll put them up in a gallery and you can look at them one at a time if you like.  They’re a bit out of order because we used 2 different cameras.

“The Boys”

My Men

my dad, my father-in-law and my mom

momma and her soldiers

the bride’s bouquet

lovely cake

entering the reception

w00t!

groom and best man

matron of honor and bride

ready to cut the cake

mmmm, yummy

open wide

first dance

first dance

the bride and her dad dancing (this is “technically” her step dad, but he raised her and is her dad.)

the moms (i did say i *mostly* held it together)

Chief and the other dad (what a great guy!)

the bride honored her mom with a dance (wonder why the groom didn’t do the same for his dad? LOL!)

(left to right) my mom, my dad, my father-in-law

groom and mom dance

dancing with my son

The bride dancing with Chief, the groom dancing with his mother-in-law

bride’s dad and me

lovely sky

The knitting… on the way out. I LOST THE SWEATER ON THE WAY HOME! *sniff*

power plant? I saw the steam from the plane but couldn’t tell what it was. Oh, and o the way back, I decided to pack all of the cameras in the suitcase, so I didn’t get pics of the grand canyon! hrmph!

Mountains

SNOW!

leaving the airport for Tahoe

Bear Crossing

Lake Tahoe

I guess this is an “open floor plan. That’s the tub/shower in the middle of the room. Made it difficult for all 4 of us to get ready. I was later than I wanted to be because I had to wait for the boys to get finished and leave so I could shower!

MontBleu Hotel/Casino sign

another view… that’s Chief down there in the dark jacket

room with a view

they were all so beautiful!

the bride and her sisters/attendants

detail of gown

here comes the beautiful bride

ceremony

newlyweds

Gorgeous!

beautiful couple

bride, groom, matron of honor, best man

bouquet toss

about to do the garter toss. let me say i was relieved they WERE NOT tacky as I’ve see some at some receptions

my parents dancing

bride and groom at the reception

The Bride and her (biological) father

My Dad and the groom

Momma and her soldiers

I have a lot of video.  I’ll spare you for the most part, but I will be back with one clip that is well worth watching.  I promise!

I think that I will end it here.  There is so much that I could tell, but I know all you really wanted was the pictures!

I’m thinking this isn’t going to work

I tried to post and upload pics earlier.  The connection here is awful!

I’ll post the Tahoe edition another time.

Coming soon

7 quick takes Friday -Tahoe edition.

Do you love how after 25 years he still doesn’t know I don’t drink out of bottles or cans? LOL

Blessings!

Cuz I’m cool like that

Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

hrmph!

my washer has been acting like it is dying for quite a while now and while i wanted a new machine, i kept hoping it would keep going.  it did.  except that this morning it doesn’t want to spin anymore.  it still agitates to wash (frontloader) but when it comes to the spin, it just doesn’t do it.  normally it sounds like a jet engine taking off.  now it sounds like a squeaky mouse!

WHY TODAY?!

Eeeek!!

Screenshot of my weather widget for Lake Tahoe (taken this morning)

updated weather widget for Lake Tahoe

It is SIX FOUR DEGREES?! And it is going to snow the whole time we are there?!  Yikes.

I dug out my birkenstock clogs and put them in the freezer with bags of water in them to stretch them.  My open-toed birks are not going to cut it!!!  Supposedly this putting bags of water in the shoes and freezing them (the water expands as it freezes) will stretch them out anywhere between ½ and 1 shoe size.  I can wear birk sandals with no problem, but the clogs never quite cut it.  Though I was pleased that they fit better yesterday than they did before.   When I tried them on, they were actually quite comfortable.  I guess some of that 30 31 lbs I lost came from my feet.   I’m not taking any chances, though!

Blindside

SuperSoldier and I went to see the movie “Blindside”, the story of Baltimore Ravens left tackle, Michael Oher.

This was a wonderful movie and an incredibly moving story.

Go see it.