How Does Your Garden Grow

You may remember when we first planted our Mary Garden over Mother's Day weekend.

This week shows lots of promise!


We call our tomato plant, "Goliath."


There are 8 bell peppers, 3 of them red and 5 green.


Goliath has about 60 tomatoes on him right now. Our first bunch are just beginning to turn orange.

Hurray for summer produce!

H/T to Tracy at Pinewood Castle

Mother's Day

We started off today with Mass at our Parish and helping to man a few tables encouraging parishioners to attend a Theology of the Body course and some upcoming Silent Retreats.



Came home to buttermilk pancakes and naptime. Hurray! We all needed naps.

Then a quick lunch and off to the nursery to pick out our plants for the "Mary Garden" we just planted. (Thanks Kimberly for the inspiration) We live in a Condominium and our home owners association isn't too keen on anything outside. We put together some containers that we can move easily in and out of our little porch via wagon. We have a pot of basil and a pot of parsley. I did them separately because previously my parsley attacked everything in the pot. Bad parsley. So two pots to eliminate that problem this time.



Then we have two 5 gallon buckets. One contains a cherry tomato and the other has three pepper plants: 2 green and 1 red. Both bell pepper.

In a few weeks my MIL is bringing up another tomato plant for us. I love tomatoes and would eat them all day if I could.

After we finished our garden we got some dinner and then set up some Skype time with my in-laws. Unfortunately it must have been a bit too much for Pearl. She was very cranky and bit me on the way to the bathtub. But now she's had her bath, prayers and nursies. However, I can still hear her chattering to her stuffed doggie. I'm hoping she gets some good sleep, so we get some good sleep tonight.

Check out some more reflections of Mother's Day by Melanie. She's put words to my thoughts today.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Happy Feast Day to you all!!

This is one of my favorite Marian feasts as I cultivated a devotion to this particular apparation of Our Lady in High School.

I was drawn in by her titles of Patroness of the Americas and Patroness of the Unborn. Then I read what she said to Juan Diego and even more so knew her to be my mother. This is intercessory prayer:

"My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace....Do not be distressed, my littlest son. Am I not here with you WHO AM your Mother? Are you not under myshadow and protection? "
Catholic Online

Wow, those words get to me everytime. This is what I look to when I need the consolation of a mother.

I think that it is an appropriate time and Feast Day, with Our Lady of Guadalupe as the Patroness of the Unborn, to ask for your prayers for our own life within....















HURRAY!







We found out last week (the day after our infertility consultation, go figure) that we are expecting a wee one August 10th. So we are 5 1/2 weeks right now; very early on. We would like to thank you for your prayers thus far for this babe. I know that many of you have been praying for our family and God's will to be done within our fertility. You are awesome prayer warriors, and I ask you to continue praying for us. Thank you so much for your love and support.

I am already feeling the morning sickness/all day sickness:) It started fast and strong. My own mother did not have relief till after the 4th month with me, so I'm telling myself it will be that long, so if it's shorter it will be a surprise!

Having been a part of infertility support groups for a time now, I have been deeply touched by other's journeys. Everyday with this child is a gift, and I am humbled and in awe of God's providence.

Marian Ponderings

I've been wanting to post some reflections, but I am set to give a talk this upcoming Sunday to a parish nearby about "Why Catholics Honor Mary." They are wanting someone to come in to speak who is not directly associated with the parish. Should be good times. I'm working on my talk. They have a relatively good outline that I was sent, and now I am filling in here and there.

I've been a bit busy as of late...you know the usual: health depression issues, grandma's ill and now flying to spend two months with my mother, and mom just underwent surgery this morning to address the debilitating pain in her left arm, etc.

So a bit nuts, but hoping to get the time needed to finish my preparations. Say some prayers! Thanks.

Marian Sweetness

Well, I'm through my first week at the new job. Praise God for his Goodness. This week went by very well. There is a lot to learn as I go along, but so far so good. I just pray that He continues to guide our steps.

A nice surprise is that I've had the opportunity to go to Eucharistic Adoration 3 times this week!! We have our scheduled Holy Hour on Monday nights. On thurs. evening our Campus Ministry hosted an hour of adoration at their center. Then when we got home, I had an email asking if we could sub for an hour today (Friday). Sweet!

So this evening, the DH and I headed back north to the parish 30 minutes from here which offers adoration to cover that hour. We were pleasantly surprised when the couple we have our Monday hour with showed up unexpectedly:)

I have been "chewing" on one book for awhile now and I am almost completed (sad to say since it is so good). Here is my latest nugget of Marian Sweetness. Note: This spoke to my heart in particular with our infertility. Leave your own reflections in the comment box, if desired.

The Mother and Prayer

"When she met the angel while in contemplation, her Son's life was already in her; her prayer itself was, so to speak, the first bearer, the spiritual womb of the Word of the Father in her, even before her body's womb carried the Incarnate One. Her spirit is so completely possessed and fructified by God that this fruitfulness extends even to her body, and her womb is allotted the duty of bearing the physical Son..."

Handmaid of the Lord by Adrienne Von Speyr

Our Lady of Sorrows

A clip from Handmaid of the Lord by Adrienne Von Speyr

"And so she said Yes to the Lord's death as well, when she gave her consent to the conception of the Redeemer. And whoever says Yes to a child consents to the little being's whole future work and fruitfulness, which extends into the unforseeable. And, in the end, both assents are one insofar as they are a unified service. Within this service Mary leaves the whole formation to God. She leaves it to him to make use of her as he wills, in joy and suffering. She does not say Yes in the beginning to a joyous conception and Yes at the end to a fearful death. Her Yes is bound to nothing other than the will of God--not even to any particular state or condition of her Son, still less to any transitory situation of her own. It is an indifferent Yes that can be shaped by God into the highest joy as well as the deepest sorrow. She herself will not influence the will of God in anything. She only accepts."

Papal Homily from Austria

"Whenever we look toward Mary, she shows us Jesus."

Papal Address from Mariazell, Austria.