A BLANKET, A BUNNY, A BOY AND A CAT

So glad to get the blanket finished and off my lap!! Made with donated yarn and odds of Caron Simply Soft in my stash. Used US8 needles and the basic Grandma's Favorite washcloth pattern. Increased til there was 200 sts on the needles and began to decrease. When I ran out of yarn I improvised the watermelon look. It's approximately 42" square.
Knit up the cute Bunny Blanket Buddy using some TLC Amore I found in my stash. Didn't stuff the head and I think it works fine without the stuffing. May make a few more of these cuties to put aside for baby gifts. While moving the stash around the other day I found SO MANY projects that I want to get off the needles. There are cross stitch and sewing projects as well. I wish my stamina was better!! I'll be working on a blanket and some burial kimonos next.
Father's sermon was about traveling light. It's embarrassing how much "stuff" we accumulate and really don't need. I've been cleaning out my closet a little at a time, and have a large bag of clothing to donate now.
Chester is so cute and likes to cuddle with Daniel when they decide they need a rest after playing like maniacs. It's so nice to have a pet again. Chester is very entertaining.
Catholic Caveman has a good post about the difference between a living and a dying parish. Where does your parish stand?

THANKSGIVING FOR RECOVERY

Glory to you, heavenly Father, for the sickness you have sent me. My illness has humbled me and reminded me of your laws. Let me keep your word always.
Glory to you, O Lord, for delivering me from the terrors of pain and restoring me to health. You hear me in my troubles, and so I will live to declare the praises of my God.
Glory to you, O Lord God, for the lengthening of my life on this earth. Give me the grace to spend this life in your service and to perform all my resolutions with willing obedience.
When you finally decide that my time has come, let me die at peace with you, at peace with the world, and at peace with myself.
The blessings of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend on me and all belonging to me, and be with me in my going out and my coming in, now and forever. Amen.

SAINT MARIA GORETTI

Today is the feast day of Maria Goretti. We watched a movie on EWTN last night. What a wonderful message on purity! If you have a young girl I highly recommend finding or starting a Maria Goretti Guild.
It is also the birthday of my baby brother Jimmy Lee who was born premature in 1968 and did not survive. Please say a prayer for those who die preematurely.

A FAVORITE PRAYER

RADIATING CHRIST
by John Henry Newman

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly,
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us,
and be so in us,
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us,
but only Jesus!
Stay with us,
and then we shall begin to shine as you shine;
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light O Jesus, will be all from you,
none of it will be ours;
it will be you, shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best,
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words but by our example,
by the catching force,
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.
Amen.

(Mother Teresa's favorite prayer, one she recited every day of her life.)

TO SEE GOD'S PERMISSION OF THE HAPPENING

St. Francis de Sales gives this advice: "We must have patience not only to be ill, but to be ill with the illness which God wills, in the place where He wills, and among such persons as He wills; and so of our tribulations."
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"Love is patient." I Cor. 13:4
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Find strength and consolation in prayer. You need God's grace to make any difficulty a means of greater personal holiness. Prayer secures that grace. You can conquer anything with God's grace, but nothing without it. Your prayer need not be long, but brief and definite. Take time to pray for the interests of Christ and His Church persecuted in so many countries today. Pray for the checking of the moral evils so prevalent even among Catholics.
~from "The Hidden Power of Kindness" by Lawrence G. Lovasik

INTRODUCING G. K. CHESTERTON

Good Kitty Chesterton, "Chester" for short came to live with us this past Sunday. He has been a delightful small ball of energy, but as the pictures show, he has had his fair share of cat naps as well. We are very happy to have him join our family:~D

A QUICK VISIT

When I don't blog very often I find there is an overload of things that I want to blog about. So here goes some rather random things but things that I'd like to share anyway.
* The photo is one I hadn't seen before of the Lady of Roses. How appropriate for the month of June which is rapidly coming to a close.
* Here's an article entitled Running the Rosary. I love that when we do anything as to the Lord it is a prayer.
* Farewell to our sister in Christ. So comforting to know she had the last sacraments.
* A lovely prayer to Our Lady of Rest.
* An exciting Year of the Priest. June 19, 2009-June 19, 2010.
* Beautiful button art.
* Got a lovely certificate for 4 years of donating to The Preemie Project. Wish I could have made it to the award ceremony, but it was just not meant to be yet. It's been such a rewarding project to be involved with! Hope to continue many more years.
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Well, that's all for now. I continue to convalesce at a rather slow rate, but I'm so grateful to even be here that I just take each day and moment at a time. I'm reading more now than I have in years. I continue to knit. I find that I can't sit for very long at a time and am constantly up and down. The worst part about this journey has been the most horrible insomnia. I have trouble getting to and staying asleep. I'm perpetually tired! I hear that it's different with every person who has had this surgery. Thank you all so much for your caring words and prayers!!!
Hope to post more as the weeks go on. There's much to be grateful for:~D

THANKFUL AND BUSY

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and prayers!!! I'm making progress but it's giving me the chance to practice the virtue of PATIENCE.
I managed to get 30 cloths done this year and my dear husband took me to the Red Cross a couple of weeks ago to donate them with their Ivory Soaps. I also finished a burial kimono with hat. I used Plymouth Yarn's Dreambaby D.K. that I bought at Simply Fibers. I love how the fabric looks with the tiny specks of pastel colors. Finally I've been working on some hats to donate to The Preemie Project. This particular hat was inspired by the "pompom bear" hat found in the book "Baby Beanies" by Amanda Keeys.
I found the book "The Power of Praying Through the Bible" by Stormie Omartian at our library on the "new" shelf. It's been a wonderful inspirational book to read. Thank you for stopping by. Praise God for the wonderful things He has done!