Saturday, July 25, 2015

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author, and not necessarily in the order read.


Sunday book(s) 

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Claude Lightfoot
or How the Problem Was Solved"
"That Football Game
and What Came of It"
by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.
[children's fiction]
(online books)

"The Miraculous Medal"
by Mary Fabyann Windeatt
[biography]


Weekday Books

 "Eight Cousins"
by Louisa May Alcott
[fiction]
{carrying over into next week}

 "God Uses Cracked Pots"#
by Patsy Clairmont
[nonfiction, Christian (Protestant), autobiographical anecdotes, part
of a 3-in-1 book]
(openlibrary.org loan)
{carrying over into next week}

"Winter Term at Malory Towers"
"Fun and Games at Malory Towers"
"Secrets at Malory Towers"
"Goodbye Malory Towers"
by Pamela Cox
[children's fiction]
authorized continuations of
Enid Blyton's series. 

"The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins"
by Dr. Seuss
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan.   I refuse
to BUY his books)

"Busybody Nora"
"Nora and Mrs. Mind-Your-Own-Business"
(openlibrary.org loan)
parents may want to read 
this one before sharing it
with their young children;
the author reveals something
that could upset some kids;
something that I think is
up to the parents to reveal.
"New Neighbors for Nora"
by Johanna Hurwitz
[children's fiction]

"The Sun Is Shining On The Other Side"
by Margaret Jensen
[nonfiction, autobiographical and biographical,
Christian, (Protestant)]
This book is described on the cover as
A Heartwarming and Humorous Collection
of Margaret Jensen's Best Stories
{carried  over from last week}
I prefer the individual books that
these stories are taken from.

"Betsy And Joe"
by Maud Hart Lovelace
[YA fiction]

"grace notes"
{carried  over from last week}
"love, annie"
by Dandi Daley Mackall
[children's/YA fiction, Christian (Protestant), Blog On! series)
(Google Books, replacing copies lost when I moved.)




A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays
"The Imitation of Christ"
by Thomas A Kempis
[Kindle book]

Protestant Books

 I don't intend to talk against Protestant books in this post.  After all, as anyone familiar with my weekly book lists knows, I read and enjoy books by Protestant authors.  The ones I like best are those in which the author talks about his/her experiences and faith, (faith meaning trust) without going into doctrine.
 But what about a book whose author says something contrary
to Catholic doctrine?  Does that bother me? In all honesty, not
always.
It doesn't bother me if the author is simply stating what he/she believes.  It does, however, bother me if the author criticizes Catholics for our beliefs.  But, instead of allowing myself to become angry, I pray that God will remove that
writer's prejudices.
And perhaps someday, that Protestant writer will become a great Catholic writer.


Sunday, July 19, 2015

Rosary Prayers: Something Added

I’ve added something to the prayers I say at the beginning of the Rosary. Now, besides offering the Our Father for persecuted Christians throughout the world, and the conversion of their persecutors, and the three Hail Mary’s for an increase in faith, hope, and charity, I offer the Glory Be in reparation for sacrilege and blasphemy.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books, (except Sunday books) are grouped by author, and not necessarily in the order read.


Sunday book(s) 
"Harry Dee
or Making it  Out"
"Claude Lightfoot
or How the Problem Was Solved"
by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.
[children's fiction]
(online books)

"Travelers Along the Way"
by Fr. Benedict Groeschel
[collective biography]
(Kindle book)

"The Story of A Soul"
by St. Therese of Lisieux


Weekday Books
"Last Term at Malory Towers"
by Enid Blyton
[children's fiction]

"New Term at Malory Towers"
"Summer Term at Malory Towers"
by Pamela Cox
(children's fiction)
authorized continuations of
Enid Blyton's series. 

"The Sun Is Shining On The Other Side"
by Margaret Jensen
[nonfiction, autobiographical and biographical,
Christian, (Protestant)]
This book is described on the cover as
A Heartwarming and Humorous Collection
of Margaret Jensen's Best Stories
{carried  over from last week}

"Betsy Was A Junior"
by Maud Hart Lovelace
[YA fiction]

"grace notes"
by Dandi Daley Mackall
[children's/YA fiction, Christian (Protestant), Blog On! series)
(Google Book, replacing copy lost when I moved.)
{carrying over into next week}
"Collecting Things"
by Paul Villiard
(nonfiction)

"The Giraffe Who Went To School" #
by Irma Wilde
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays
"The Imitation of Christ"
by Thomas A Kempis
[Kindle book]

Bible Reading Plan: The Sequel

Remember this post from the beginning of the year?
Have I been able to stick to this schedule?
Well, to be honest, I haven't.  For one thing, I've lost too much
computer-time, and catching up became too difficult.  For another, and I should have remembered this from past attempts at reading the Bible in a year, I'm not all that crazy about reading several different passages in one day.
[This does not apply to the Readings at Mass!]
So I'm now reading my Bible in several different ways which do
not interfere with each other.
In the morning, after my Morning Offering and a few other prayers, I read a very brief portion of one of the Psalms, taken at random.  I've been doing this, and reading a portion of the Gospels at bedtime, for more than a year now.
I have two ways of reading my Bible during the day.  
One thing I'm doing is reading the Bible straight through, from cover to cover.   I know that many people do not recommend this method, but I find that it works for me.  Actually, it is the first way I read a Christian Bible while I was going through my conversion.
 I'll admit that I skim over some passages, but I'm not skipping anything.  Right now I'm in The Book of Numbers.

My other way of reading the Bible during the day is to take a small portion, a morsel, from the Readings at Mass, and read it
several times. Sometimes that morsel, that tidbit, is just part of a verse.   Often, during the day, I will pause and reflect briefly on that little portion.


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Selling Baby Parts! I'm Disgusted.

Yes, this is a post about Planned Parenthood, or, as I call them,
Planned Babykilling.
I'm disgusted, sickened, nauseated by this.  And yet, at the same time, I'm not all that surprised. 

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Books Read In The Past Week



Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books, (except Sunday books) are grouped by author, and not necessarily in the order read.


Sunday book(s) 
"Percy Wynn
or Making a Boy of Him"
"Harry Dee
or Making it  Out"
by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.
[children's fiction]
(online books)

"Travelers Along the Way"
by Fr. Benedict Groeschel
[collective biography]
(Kindle book)

"The Story of A Soul"
by St. Therese of Lisieux


Weekday Books
"Upper Fourth at Malory Towers"
"In the Fifth at Malory Towers"
by Enid Blyton
[children's fiction]

"The Leader of the Lower School:
A Tale of School Life" #
by Angela Brazil
pronounced Brazzle
[children's fiction]
(free Kindle book)
Much to my annoyance,
one of the nastiest girls
in this book is named 
Gladys... Mom's first name

"Tides"
{carried over from last week}
by V.M. Caldwell
[children's/YA fiction]

"The Sun Is Shining On The Other Side"
by Margaret Jensen
[nonfiction, autobiographical and biographical,
Christian, (Protestant)]
This book is described on the cover as
A Heartwarming and Humorous Collection
of Margaret Jensen's Best Stories

{carrying over into next week}

"Betsy in Spite of Herself"
by Maud Hart Lovelace
[YA fiction]

"Big Trouble For Roxie"

(openlibrary.org loan)
"Kathy's Baby-Sitting Hassle"
(physical copy)
"Hannah and the Special 4th of July"
(openlibrary.org loan)
by Hilda Stahl
[children's fiction, Christian, Protestant (denomination(s) not specified), series]



"Nothing Sticks Like A Shadow" #
by Ann Tompert
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)
mentioned in "Kathy's Baby-Sitting Hassle."

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays
"The Imitation of Christ"
by Thomas A Kempis
[Kindle book]

Items Added To My Break-Off Collection, and One Item Under Consideration

 It's been some time since I was able to add anything to my Break-Off Collection, but today I've added not one, but two new
items.  They both came from the same "parent."

Remember those cherries I recently ordered?

Well, as I posted soon after they arrived:
They were described as adhesive, but the adhesive part only covered a small portion, and was adhesive for about one minute!  And the leaves came off as well!
 
It occurred to me today that I could add one of the leaves, and a cherry that had also become detached, to my Break-Off Collection.I'm surprised that it took me so long to think of that.  So now
there are two new items in the drawer housing my collection.

Meanwhile, the zipper pull on my Bible cover has come off.  It is rather frayed, and I've put it aside for now while I decide whether it, too, will go into the collection.





Saturday, July 4, 2015

Books Read In The Past Week



Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books, (except Sunday books) are grouped by author, and not necessarily in the order read.


Sunday book(s)
"Tom Playfair
or Making a Start" 
"Percy Wynn
or Making a Boy of Him"
by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.
[children's fiction]
(read online)

"Travelers Along the Way"
by Fr. Benedict Groeschel
[collective biography]
(Kindle book)

"The Story of A Soul"
by St. Therese of Lisieux


Weekday Books


"The Home Has A Heart"
by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
[non-fiction, Christian (Protestant) themes,
anecdotes, recipes]
(July chapter only)

"Third Year at Malory Towers"
by Enid Blyton
[children's fiction]

"The Ocean Within"
"Tides"
{carrying over into next week}
by V.M. Caldwell
[children's/YA fiction]

"The Sara Summer"
by Mary Downing Hahn
[children's fiction (older children)]

"Heaven to Betsy"
by Maud Hart Lovelace
[YA fiction]

"The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"
"The Tale of Samuel Whiskers: or The Roly Poly
Pudding"
by Beatrix Potter
[picture books.( in
"Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]
(Kindle book)

"Chelsea and The Outrageous Phone Bill"
by Hilda Stahl
[children's fiction, Christian, Protestant {denomination(s) not specified}, series]
(openlibrary.org loan)


"Tarry Awhile"
{carried over from last week}
by Lenora Mattingly Weber
(Kindle book)


A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays
"The Imitation of Christ"
by Thomas A Kempis
[Kindle book]

Friday, July 3, 2015

Another Post About Hats

I recently blogged about a hat I used to have, and one I'd just ordered.  Well, the new hat came a month later, from Malaysia.
I had no idea that it was going to come from there.
The hat arrived, not in a box, but in what looked like a trash bag.   In fact, I thought at first that it was a trash bag that had blown onto my porch.
As for the hat itself, it was wrinkled and creased.  I did manage to smooth out the wrinkles and creases, but it took awhile.  
Once the wrinkles and creases were gone, or, rather, ALMOST
gone, I put the applique sunflower I had in reserve on the front.
It turned out that one wasn't enough, so I ordered two more.
Now, was the hat shapeable?  Yes, but not very!  It didn't retain
the shapes I put it in for very long, and it soon began to look like a very old, battered hat.  Thank God it didn't cost too much!
I put the hat on a shelf with several other old hats.  And then I took down one I didn't remember having bought.  It's a straw bonnet, light tan or beige, rim longer in front, with red trim all
around the edges, and two holes on the sides where there used to be strings.  I think this hat originally belonged to Mom!
I transferred the sunflower to the front of this hat (on the crown), and added the two new ones when they arrived.
I wanted to do something about the holes, so I ordered these
cherries.

They were described as adhesive, but the adhesive part only covered a small portion, and was adhesive for about one minute!  And the leaves came off as well!
So what did I do?  I attached a single cherry to two cherries (it took a bit of twisting!), and then I pushed the stem part through the hole, so that the cherries and part of the stem were on the outside.  It looked good, so I did the same with another set of two cherries and one single cherry.
So now I have a nice, cheerful-looking hat.
The cherries will be on it permanently, but I still plan to change the trimmings on the front every few months.
I'm really happy with my newly-trimmed hat.. and yet, I must admit that I still miss the shapeable hat that was lost when I moved.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

A Book I Never Finished

Less than a year after I joined the Church, I borrowed a book
called Saint-watching, written by Phyllis McGinley, from the public library.  I've just borrowed it again, this time from openlibrary.org, but, once again, I shall NOT be reading this book in its entirety.  I only want to quote a certain passage
accurately.  This book won't appear on my weekly reading list!
I remember being interested in the book, until I came to these
words on page 21:
"Then, as if to display the broad spectrum of sanctity, there are ignorant or clumsy-minded saints like prattling Theresa of Lisieux."
Ignorant? Clumsy-minded?  Actually, she was a subtle genius when it came to spiritual matters. 
I slammed the book shut, and did not read any more, nor have I ever read any other of Phyllis McGinley's works.  Perhaps I've
been missing out; I did enjoy her style until I came to her words
about my Patron Saint!
It may very well be time for me to give this writer another chance, to read one of her books. It won't, however, be a
book about the saints!


Encouraging news about EWTN's Fr. Anthony

Fr. Anthony hopes to be back on the air in the near future.  Oh, HOW I'm praying for that to happen! https://franciscanmissionaries.c...