I'm My Own Grandpa

The other day the whole family was gathered around the computer screen watching a video on Lady Rose's blog of a goofy song we had heard on the radio. After we watched it, she pointed out another equally goofy song called "I'm My Own Grandpa". I thought I would share the lyrics with you and then make a few comments. If you want, you can watch that video here.
Oh, many, many years agoWhen I was twenty-threeI was married to a widow
Who was pretty as can be
This widow had a grown-up daughter
Who had hair of red
My father fell in love with her
And soon the two were wed

This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life
For my daughter was my mother
'Cause she was my father's wife
To complicate the matter
Though it really brought me joy
I soon became the father
Of a bouncing baby boy

This little baby then became
A brother-in-law to Dad
And so became my uncle
Though it made me very sad
For if he was my uncle
Then that also made him brother
Of the widow's grown-up daughter
WHo of course is my step-mother

Chorus
I'm my own grandpa
I'm my own grandpa
It sounds funny I know
But it really is so
Oh, I'm my own grandpa

My father's wife then had a son
Who kept them on the run
And he became my grandchild
For he was my daughter's son
My wife is now my mother's mother
And it makes me blue
Because although she is my wife
She's my grandmother too

Now if my wife is my grandmother
Then I'm her grandchild
And every time I think of it
It nearly drives me wild
For now I have become
The strangest case you ever saw
As husband of my grandma
I am my own grandpa

[chorus]

The first thing I did after reading these lyrics was scratch my head and read them again to see if I could follow what the song writer was saying. There is a good exercise in logic here. The teacher in me is going to suggest that you take out a piece of paper and a pencil and map out this family tree. I haven't done it yet, but I'm sure it would look interesting.

Once I thought I had the song figured out, we watched the video and laughed, because there is a good amount of humor here - on the surface. The more I thought about it, though, I realized how sad of a commentary it is on the complications of divorce and remarriage that is running rampant in this country. I have to believe that there are probably many cases just as equally confusing as this one out there in the "real" world. All the more reason to preach to the world about the value in making marriage a covenant and not a contract. Yeah, you guessed it, another plug to go see "Fireproof". Believe me, you won't regret it. Let us continue to pray that our country can once again embrace the true idea of marriage - marriage between a man and a woman and "till death do us part".

God Bless!

"Fireproof" Part II

It is time once again for me to shout something from the rooftops! This past Saturday evening, my husband and I went on a date with three other couples to see the movie "Fireproof". This is an incredible movie about the marriage in our present day society. It captures the spirit of most marriages that don't include God in the picture to a tee. We laughed, we cried - even my good friend who hardly cries at anything was crying throughout the whole movie. Just at the right times they would throw in something very funny to lighten the mood a touch.

To make it easy on you, here is the link to the website that allows you to find the movie in a theater near you!

Want to check out even more cool stuff? The creators of the movie have another website that has marriage resources and shows how you can help support the movie. What I thought was neat was that even though it is a movie made by Protestants, they have a page dedicated specifically to Catholics.

When we were walking out of the movie I noticed two very young couples that were "dressed up" in teenage finery going towards the movie theater. I looked up at the marquee and wondered which of those movies (with names like "The House Bunny", "The Family that Preys Together" and "Righteous Kill") they were going to go see. I wanted to run to them and tell them not to waste their money on trash, but to spend it on something that might change their lives. Unfortunately, I'm still not bold enough to do something like that. Hopefully someday I will be able to.

So, do whatever you can to scrape up the time and money to go see this movie. I cannot stress this enough! See it and then tell everyone you know to do the same!

God Bless!

County Fair Pie

This pie brings the delicious flavors of chocolate and butterscotch together into a savory, mouth watering dessert! If you don't care for butterscotch, then substitute peanut butter chips in for a delightful Reese's Peanut Butter cup taste. This tasty treat is quick and easy to make and satisfying to eat. And why not have a great cup of Mystic Monk Coffee while you're at it? The results will be heavenly!

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir in nuts and chips. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Jesus our Rock

At mass this morning, Father began by saying that in these perilous economic times, how lucky we are to have Jesus to cling to for security instead of having to depend on the Government to bring that to us. He talked about how in Lourdes, the pilgrims are encouraged to touch the rock of the grotto area while they are waiting in line to visit the grotto and how clinging to that solid rock is to remind us of Jesus.

It seems that I am constantly being attracted to blogs where the message is the same. Even though our personal world, and even the greater world, may be falling apart around us, somehow we need to find Jesus in all of it and cling to Him. He is the one who is working behind the scenes (sometimes WAY behind the scenes it seems) to make sure that everything in our lives goes according to His plan. I know myself that it is hard to remember that all the time, but God has been good in reminding me almost every day that I can't figure it all out - nor am I supposed to.

In these difficult times, I find it best to focus on the present moment, which is truly the only moment we have. As we learned about in our formation group today, God is the here and now; not the past and not the future. If God is here and now, why do I always find myself moving ahead to what might be. It is such a temptation for me to imagine what might lie ahead. If I am not paying attention, I find that it can truly consume a lot of my thoughts and can get me quite anxious and depressed. If I focus on the present moment and try to live fully in it, I find that I am much more joyful. If I look for Jesus in the present moment and cling to Him in all that I do, I know that I am much more joyful.

We don't know what lies ahead in the near future for our country. There is a lot of speculation out there as to what might be coming, but as we know, no one really knows, so the best thing that we can continue to do is pray and cling to Jesus our Rock.

God Bless!

Last Surviving Founding Member of NARAL

I got this YouTube clip in an email today. It is quite chilling when you think of one man being personally responsible for 75,000 abortions. How can anyone say that abortion is not the leading issue to be considered in the upcoming election? Please pass this information onward.



God Bless!

The Declaration of Independence

We just finished up reading through the Declaration of Independence. I have to say that it is truly a classic piece of writing. Just like the Bible, it means something to us today even though it was written 232 years ago. It really struck me while reading the first section, before they begin to list the offenses of King George, how much like today it sounds. While reading the next section about the King George's "repeated injuries and usurpations", I started thinking about where our country might be headed...

So, when was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence? I would suggest that you take a moment of your free time to read it again. Read it slowly and take in what it is they are saying here. It truly is an incredible document.

Now, here is a picture of our first project on the American Revolution. My son took the proverbial bull by the horn and tackled his assignment in one day. I love it when they get so into a project. I have to say, again, that this NEVER happened when we were doing workbooks all the time. Part of the reason why, however, is because I never would take the time to let them do stuff like this because then we would fall behind on our workbook schedule. Well, anyway, here is my son's first diorama on the Battle of Bunker Hill. Notice the ship in the harbor off to the left and the Americans up on Bunker Hill on the back wall. The soldiers in front are the English.



God Bless!

A Wee Bit of Humor to Start Off the Week

It's always nice to start the week off on a humorous note. My husband found this on someone's septic website. It was too funny to pass up. One day we hope to run a Catholic campground; hopefully we can be just as clear in our correspondence!

Basic Baptist Bathroom

A very proper lady began planning a week’s camping vacation for her and her Baptist Church group. She wrote to a campground for reservations. She wanted to make sure that the campground was fully equipped and modern, but couldn’t herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter, so she decided on the old fashioned term “Bathroom Commode”.

Once written down she still was not comfortable. Finally she decided on the abbreviation “BC” and wrote, does your campground have its own “BC?” When the campground owner received the letter, he couldn’t figure out what she meant by “BC”. He showed it to several of the campers, one of whom suggested the lady was obviously referring to a Baptist Church since there was a letterhead on the paper which referred to a Baptist Church. So he sent this reply.

Dear Madam:

The B.C. is located nine miles from the campground in a beautiful grove of trees. I admit it is quite a distance if you are in the habit of going regularly. No doubt you will be pleased to know that it will seat 350 people at one time, and it is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday of each week. Some folks like to take their lunch and make a day of it. The acoustics are very good, so everyone can hear even the quietest passages. It may interest you to know that my daughter met her husband there. We are also having a fundraiser to purchase new seats, as the old ones have holes in them. Unfortunately my wife is ill and has not been able to attend regularly. It’s been a good six months since she last went.

It pains her very much not to be able to go more often. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, especially in cold weather. Perhaps I could accompany you the first time you go, sit with you, and introduce you to all the other folks who will be there. I look forward to your visit.

We offer a very friendly campground.

God Bless!