Monday, November 29, 2010


Head ball, Belly ball, Bottom ball-Done!
Building Mr. Snowman is always lots of fun!



MATTY AND SABETH DOWN TO THE CAPE FOR THE WEEK.ENCOUNTERED OUR SEASON'S 1ST SNOWFALL.OF COURSE,A SNOWMAN WAS IN ORDER.


SO YOU WILL NOTICE THAT FROSTY HAS A MINI CUKE AS A NOSE INSTEAD OF A CARROT.COZ WE WELCOMED 2 NEW HORSES TO KNIGHTSWOOD THIS WEEK AND PROCEEDED TO SPOIL THEM WITH LOTS OF CARROTS AND APPLES...PICS TO FOLLOW.

The Christmas Novena (ST. ANDREW CHRISTMAS NOVENA)
It is time once again for the Christmas Novena. It begins on Tuesday, November 30th and goes through Christmas Eve. It is time to prayerfully consider what we want most for Christmas this year and bring those desires to God. I've seen different versions of how to say this novena - some say to say it 15 times a day while others have it as just once a day. However you do it, humbly request God for the blessings that you desire most this Christmas.


The Christmas Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold.
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires.
(Mention your request here.)
Through Jesus Christ and his most Blessed Mother. Amen.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

WELL IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF THE CATHOLIC NEW YEAR...ADVENT...THE COMING...FROM THE LATIN WORD - ADVENTUS.

Advent blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the birth of Christ.

Here are twelve tips that will help you and your family keep this season holy:

1. Use an Advent calendar and/or a wreath to mark this time of preparation. Pray Advent prayers with the family and the rosary when you light up the candle on the wreath. Sing 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' throughout Advent.
2. Keep outdoor lights and decorations simple, using religious CHRISTmas scenes like the Nativity or a star.
3. Use a Jesse tree or an Advent tree.
4. Have your Christmas tree blessed. Remind your children that the tree is a Christian symbol and relates to many aspects of our faith.
5. Let your children know that "Santa Claus" is another name for the real St. Nicholas and tell them his story. Celebrate the day. Encourage your children to leave their shoes outside their bedroom doors on Dec. 5. When they awaken, they will find small gifts like candy or fruit if they’ve been good.
6. Participate in the Giving Tree at church. Have your children buy a gift to donate to children in need or perform some service for the poor or elderly.
7. Put a Nativity set in a prominent place in your home, but only put out some of the animals. You can put the other statues out, but in another place in your home. Each week, read a little from the Christmas story in Luke's Gospel, and move the statues a little closer.
8. Have the children place a piece of straw in the manger for each good deed they do during Advent as a gift to the baby Jesus.
9. Take the entire family, when possible, to daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and to the sacrament of Reconciliation.
10. Light a candle before the Blessed Mother when visiting the Blessed Sacrament.
11. The Mary candle: Some families have the custom of decorating the Christ candle with a blue veil on December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On this great feast, others place a candle with a blue ribbon before a statue or picture of the Blessed Virgin, whose “yes” to God enabled our Lord’s coming at Christmas. The candle is lit during meal times to serve as a delightful reminder of Mary’s eager expectation of the “Light of the World.”
12. St. Lucy cakes: The feast of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, is on December 13th. This marks the opening of the Christmas season in Sweden. Her life story can be found in most saints books, as can the recipe for the traditional cakes. The symbolism is rich and her life story worthwhile reading.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Wishing someone "Merry Christmas" is not an insult just because they don't celebrate it. Get over yourselves.





In a PC world, I am MANDATED to accept others religious, political ,and lifestyles beliefs while I am still a villian for saying Merry Christmas or Jesus.



ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS...THAT BE US...

NEW YORK — The War on Christmas may be in its final days.


This season, Merry Christmas — not happy holidays or season's greetings — will dominate retailer's marketing messages. There will be Christmas sales and Christmas trees and Christmas carols galore.

That has the American Family Association, arguably one of the loudest voices advocating the use of Christmas in retailer's marketing messages over the past few years, predicting that its crusade could conclude in the next year or two.

.Randy Sharp, director-special projects at the AFA, said that in the past five years the group has seen the percentage of retailers recognizing Christmas in their advertising rise from 20 percent to 80 percent. Just eight retailers are left on the group's list of "Companies Against Christmas."



It's also become more challenging to find a large, national retailer to single out for the group's annual boycott. This year, Dick's Sporting Goods, which boasts an online "Holiday Shop," will be the target of the boycott. The AFA is expected to send an Action Alert to its 2.3 million supporters on Friday morning. That alert will urge shoppers to boycott Dick's between now and Dec. 25. It also calls for consumers to e-mail President-Chief Operating Officer Joseph Schmidt and then call Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Hennion. The retailer declined to comment. In the past, Target, Sears, Gap and Walmart have been targets.

"We've had a complete flip," Mr. Sharp says. "The politically correct holiday verbiage is going away. Companies are getting the message."
Indeed, retailers that have found themselves the target of boycotts or media and consumer scrutiny have responded swiftly in recent years. Lowe's "Family Trees" were renamed "Christmas Trees," while Walmart's "Holiday Shop" is now a "Christmas Shop." Midway through the 2005 holiday season, Target, facing a boycott, announced its advertising messages would become more specific and include references to Christmas. And last year, Gap responded to a boycott by issuing a press release highlighting the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" in its upcoming Old Navy ads.

Mr. Sharp stopped short of saying that he was surprised by how quickly and readily most retailers have changed their marketing. But he did point out that, especially in this type of economic environment, retailers are being careful not to alienate customers.

"Shoppers vote with their wallets every day," said Ellen Davis, a VP at the National Retail Federation. "[When it comes to boycotts,] retailers realize, 'It could just as easily have been us.' "
The NRF does not formally advise retailers on whether they should use the word Christmas, but Ms. Davis said it does provide statistics. This year's NRF/BigResearch survey found that 91 percent of consumers plan to celebrate Christmas, compared with 5% for Hanukkah and 2% for Kwanzaa.

"Retailers dipped their toe into the Christmas waters again last year, and there wasn't much push back. There wasn't a huge outcry from groups offended that retailers were saying Merry Christmas," said Ms. Davis. "We see the word Christmas being used much more this year than three or four years ago. The pendulum seems to have swung back."

The "extreme backlash" to generic holiday messaging likely caught retailers off guard in years past, Ms. Davis added. Now, phrasing around the holidays is much more strategic. "At this point, it's a conscious decision. It's not just whimsical phrases being tossed around in the marketing department," she said. "These are conversations that are now probably taking place in the C-Suite."



Retailers certainly tread carefully when it comes to the subject of Christmas. Major retailers such as JCPenney and Target said they don't have formal policies on in-store greetings. And retailers ranging from Gap to Macy's and RadioShack to Sears emphasized their inclusion and respect for shoppers of different beliefs, while noting that at least some of their marketing messages include the word Christmas. RadioShack, however, still appears on the AFA's list of "Companies Against Christmas." A RadioShack spokesman declined to comment on that distinction.


Plenty view the tactics of the AFA and other groups as bullying, but Mr. Sharp rejects that. "It's not bullying, it's consumer advocacy," he said. The AFA's stance is that retailers should not profit from Christmas, if they refuse to clearly acknowledge it. "When your advertising has trees and ornaments and gift wrapping, you're advertising Christmas, so don't call it holiday," Mr. Sharp said, adding that the group is not at all offended by Happy Hanukkah messages.




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Friday, November 26, 2010

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet


MERRY CHRISTMAS


T'was the Month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

Thursday, November 25, 2010



"Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin at a stable at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers and grant my desires. Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother."
—Christmas Novena

Saturday, November 20, 2010



Join the Conspiracy


The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.



So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.



And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?



What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?



Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

Take the challenge and enter the story with us this season.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thursday, November 18, 2010

HAPPY,HAPPY...YES I AM THRILLED THAT TIMOTHY DOLAN WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT...I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING HIM FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW...HE IS A DELIGHT AND A CONSERVATIVE.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan addresses members of the media Nov. 16 at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual fall meeting in Baltimore.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan was elected the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Tuesday, Nov. 16. The election of Archbishop Dolan broke from precedent that held that the vice president of the bishops’ conference, in this case Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas, would succeed the outgoing president, in this case Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, in a vote that would be more of a formality.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

FOR A MAJOR SHOT OF INSPIRATION,WATCH THIS.


PRAISING GOD AT MACY'S


'Flash opera' at Macy's


A flash mob hit Macy's in Center City on Saturday - 650 vocalists who, unknown to shoppers, had arranged to burst into song at noon.

Monday, November 15, 2010

80 million (legal) Bibles printed in China

The 80 millionth copy of the Bible authorized by the government goes to print today, but importing religious books without central authorities permission is still illegal. Christian groups say that the demand exceed the supply.The only company authorized to print Bibles in China is marking a milestone: the release today of copy number "80 million" from their printing presses, announced by the official government press agency. Amity Printing Co.  claims to have printed one million copies a month. Since its founding in 1988, the company has grown to become one of the largest printers of Bibles in the world. "The production of 80 million copies of the Bible can be attributed to the world of Chinese Christians, and even more to the country's reform and its policy of increased openness," says the president of Amity.
Religious freedom groups say there are more than 100 million Christian believers in China, including those of "private churches". Christians who belong to unofficial churches and those living in rural areas are struggling to get a bible. Moreover, despite the rapid pace of production, many Christians still do not have a copy because of the shortage in supply, or restrictions on distribution.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

FOR MY AMERICAN BUDS.WATCH THIS ,THEN POST TO YOUR SITE...IT IS THE 4TH VERSE OF THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER.IT IS RIVETING.HELP PUT IT THROUGHOUT AMERICA.SO MUCH FOR A SECULAR NATION.

Thursday, November 11, 2010


LEST WE FORGET

Saturday, November 6, 2010

CELESTIAL DELIGHT FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT


TONIGHT THE CLOCKS GO BACK...BUT NO EXTRA SLEEP FOR ME COZ EWTN IS CARRYING A SPECIAL ON BLESSED ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY(SABETH) AT 4:00 THIS A.M. ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BLESSEDS...SO I'LL BE UP.

TROOPER AND DENISE CAME FOR A VISIT


Thursday, November 4, 2010

THE WONDERS OF CHILDHOOD

BUDDING SCIENTISTS,MATTMAN AND SABETH EXAMINING A CATERPILLAR


REMINDS ME OF THE DAYS OF MY OWN KIDDIEHOOD-----COLLECTING TADPOLES IN A BOTTLE FROM THE LOCAL POND.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

SUDDENLY SOMEONE LOOKS VERRRY OLDE AND VERRRY GREY.

Monday, November 1, 2010

All Saints Day is when the Church commemorates all saints, known and unknown. The eve of All Saints is known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween. All Saints Day is November 1.

DO YOU HAVE ANY DEVOTION TO LITTLE KNOWN SAINTS?I HAVE MANY,INCLUDING ST. GEMMA GALGANI AND BLESSED ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY.

DO YOU HAVE ANY DEVOTION TO ANY UNKNOWN SAINTS?I HAVE ONE...A COUSIN,MICHELLE HAWRYLAK WHO SUCCUMBED TO LEUKEMIA AT AGE 20.