I have some very special Grandchildren…. What grandparents don’t think that, right?

Virginia (our oldest daughter) and Vincent have 6 children.  Edward is the oldest and he is 7. Her hands are full.

Virginia has told me of the few mornings she has woken up after the kids were already up. Edward had efficiently set the table, each of the kids were in their places with Emma in the high chair, devouring the cereal and milk that had been neatly poured into their bowls!

These are pictures of her second oldest son, Antonio, who is 6. They show a lot about his personality…..ambitious, hungry and impatient!! 😀

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Who says God is not concerned with the little things in our lives? I was taking a look at our bathroom and whispered a little prayer to Our Lady, “Could you please take care of this room for me?”

The room needed desperate help and my guys are awfully busy making a living around here. Shortly after that prayer my son-in-law, Mike, and my son, Dominic, decided that they would take a couple hours out of their day and paint my bathroom (I didn’t ask them, nor did I mention my prayer).

They painted the room, and the next day I saw my son trek through the house with a box of new ceramic tile…..my eyebrows raised as I saw him and I started to get *cautiously* excited! One thing led to another and next thing you know my whole bathroom was remodeled!!! Wow! Did Our Lady answer that prayer or what???? If she is concerned with the small things, will she not take care of us in the big ones?

I love this quote from Our Lady of Guadalupe: “Hear and let it penetrate into your heart; let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you. Let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Also, do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?”

I think we need this powerful reminder in these days of rampant darkness…..that the LIGHT will conquer!

I am sure you have your own “little” answers to prayer that makes you think of the loving Divine Providence that walks with us each day. A few pictures of dear hubby doing what he likes best…. hanging out and rolling about with the kids and grandchildren. We can never underestimate the power of the dad in a child’s life! Most of the following pictures are of just last Sunday….a typical Sunday. The only thing different is that my oldest and very dear brother and his sweet wife are visiting from Canada. They live in a city called Kitimat, which is 500 miles north of Vancouver Island. We are thrilled to have them so we took some photos with my mom and dad…..If you would like to read more about my mom and dad’s move to their new apartment last summer, click  here.

LINKS!

The following links are a smorgasbord of some interesting, inspiring stuff that you may find valuable in your own life. It does not mean that I endorse the whole site, just the individual posts that I have linked to.

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9 Habits of People Who Never Have to Clean Their Homes –

A maid isn’t necessary to keep your house neat every day. I thought these simple tips were great! They are some basic steps we can take to keep the clutter to a minimum and our home looking good!

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Ladies, you will like this….This link shows a neat thing you can do with a simple braid that will make you look like you took lessons from the pros! “In 5 seconds watch how mom turns an ordinary braid into a beautiful new hairdo”.  🙂

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We all have our negative times (well, most of us….hubby is an exception…he said he tried to be in a bad mood once but didn’t like it!), but what do we do with those who are negative most of the time and bring us down? Wendy Cukierski has a list of charitable and balanced approaches that may help you in these situations:

“We’ve all encountered negative folks.  It can leave you feeling drained and even physically exhausted! You might even feel your energy being zapped and your mood heading south.  It can take hours or even an entire day to start feeling “normal” again.

So…what do we do?  How do we handle such a person?

Here are several key steps you can take.  Remember…you do have a choice in how you react to them.” Read more here.

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The following is great article on technology.

“In dealing with the abuses of technology, it is good to have an historical perspective. The abuses of technology began with the Industrial Revolution, which instilled a lust for speed into modern man, and a desire and expectation for immediate gratification. This changed the psychology of man so that people are no longer able to fill idle time with thinking, contemplating, meditating or praying. Technology, which should serve society, came to dominate men’s lives.” Read Six Ways to Deal With the Abuses of Technology