A French Hydrangea

 

As I posted before  - and I will post more next days - we went to Lourdes, France for our Summer holidays and it was even better that we could antecipate. There everything is beautiful. Nature is so lush there, everywhere we look we find beauty.

These hydrangeas we found in the garden of our hotel. So pretty, aren't they ?

Joining :
Floral Friday Photos
Anything Goes Pink Saturday
My Sunday Best Meme

Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary - 15 August

Altar in Lourdes, France, in the Basilica of the Rosary, made with little mosaics, representing the Assumption of Our Lady to Heaven.

About this Solemnity - https://www.franciscanmedia.org/solemnity-of-the-assumption-of-mary/

On Lourdes I will post something tomorrow or the day after.

Yes, that true - but not this week.

Wait ! It's still Christmas

No, it's not yet time to take the decorations down. Christmas will NOT end till the 6 of January when it will be the Epiphany. That's right, the day when we celebrate the adoration the wise men did to the Infant Jesus and gave to him gold, incense and myrrh.

Then we will take the decorations down, will put the Christmas tree and Nativity scene in the attic or whatever place you keep those things till next December.

We are having a wonderful Christmas, thanks God and we had a very good transition from the old year to the new. The First of January was wonderful too with all the family, parents and sister and brother included, together with in laws and nephew. Thanks be to God.

Such a pity that I was so busy that I completely forgot to take pictures of the wonderful meals. Oh, well, never mind, the important part was that we were happy and giving thanks to Our Lord from Whom all things come.

And now I will leave you with the song of the Twelve Days of Christmas and it's meaning.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany.
 “My true love” refers to God, “me” is the individual Catholic. 
The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. 
The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. 
The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. 
The “nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels which in those days of class distinction were thought important. 
The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. 
The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments.
The “six geese a laying” are the Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of creation. 
The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah which are generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. 
The “four calling birds” are the Four Gospels. 
The “three French hens” are the Three Persons in God or the three gifts of the Wise Men. 
The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. 
The “partridge” is the piece de resistance, Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross.

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465

Joining TFT at Katherines Corner

Shopping and wrapping

Since October I have been Christmas shopping and a lot of shopping I did !

As I work full time, I have mostly Saturdays and Sundays for doing it so yesterday, after Mass, I head for the mall and stay there for a couple hours or more and I have lunch, or a kind of it, on the way, between shops, because I had no time to lose.

I'm quite pleased as I managed to buy things for all even if I intend to go back to buy some more. A lot  of money was spent but I did it wisely and I am very happy with myself. I don't buy on expensive shops and I always can find nice things for a good money.

I was so lucky that I managed to buy already most things.

We are a big family for European standards. Add to my children my parents, sisters and brothers, real and in law, and nephew and you'll have a lot of people to buy presents for and around the table on the days of Christmas.

So I have been wrapping ! I'm saying this all victorious because I'm doing a good job: instead of postponing day after day on wrapping I have began already and very well I am in that.

Even if I intend to buy more, I must say that I bought already quite a lot of presents. I will not leave them to last hour marathons, I began already and a lot of them are wrapped.

Oh, happiness.

I intend to keep posting about the antics of Christmas time being it shopping, wrapping, planning and cooking.

Isn't this a wonderful time of the year ?! I give thanks.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day

Yes, today is Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day.
If you heard of it but don't know what that means, go here and read.

Last 8 of December was the Immaculate Conception Feast Day and the anniversary of my Baptism.
Notice how both images have the crescent moon at Her feet.

Detail of Her face.

Christmas food

Every part of the earth has it's own food for Christmas and even in each country there are differences depending on each home.
Well, in my family, as in all families in this corner of the world, on the Christmas Eve dinner, we eat cod with boiled potatoes and "grelos".

Some people prefer cabbage. We always must have cabbage soup that we call Caldo Verde. This it's a must have.

In some parts of the North of the country people also eat  octopus rice. Oh, that is good too. Sometimes I make it for lunch. Maybe this year I will have it for diner. Uhm, good idea.

For Christmas lunch many people have turkey but it's not mandatory, not like the cod for Christmas Eve dinner, together with the Caldo Verde.

And desserts...

I haven't any pictures of past Christmas Eve dinners, I wonder why.
This year I will be more careful about dinner pictures.

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All the pictures, except the first one, were found searching the internet, they are not mine and I found them after looking for some free photos.
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Partying at:
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

You are not behind

Talking of homemaking I had been in a roller coaster for years: sometimes things went well, sometimes they didn't.

Even being a working outside woman with four children everything went well - or pretty close - till I had a change in my working times and everything went down the drain.

Add to the mixture several depressions along the years. Do I need to say that I still struggle ? But I have good news, I'm getting better and better.

Now I try to remember several times a day that Flylady says that there is no such thing as falling off the wagon. Jump in where you are, she says, you are not behind ! And do you know something ? She is right.

My house is getting better and better and I am too.

If this house - that is your real house and your body, in and out - is in need of a good tidying, don't feel down, just jump in. You are not behind !

I saw a post I did years ago when I was looking back to some goals and difficulties I had and I must say some are done and others I still struggle with.

Let's see them:

- To get up at 6.15

Oh, well, I don't need it anymore now that the girls have grown, no babies anymore and they help with their clothes and all so I don't need to get up that early.

Don't I ? That's why the clothes are piling to be folded and put away, not to mention other chores in the house.

So I will now have again that goal of getting up early and have some work done before going to work.

Maybe not waking up at 6.15 for now, later but not late and trying to get up a little earlier bit by bit till reaching the most convenient hour - and maybe that hour is not 6.15.

Even so, the "she rises when is still night" is still very important to me.

- To fold 40 pieces of clothing everyday

Just let us aim to 20 and we will see how things go.

- To put away those folded clothes everyday instead of leaving it in the basket.

Very good goal, I must say. I do like to do the laundry, to wash it, to put it on the line, to pick it up and, sometimes, to fold it. To put away is my struggle. I must work on it. Again.

-Declutter the Laundryroom everyday a little bit.

Major problem, the laundryroom, for years. Some time ago, and I mean just months ago, I managed with the help of my eldest, to have the dreaded laundryroom done. But you know what? Things are not anymore as good as they were. I really must do some work there. Again.

- Pray the Rosary everyday

That is very important ! I always prayed the Rosary but I must say that some days went on without it. Not good as Our Lady in Fátima said to pray it everyday.

Do you know what? I now pray the Rosary everyday without failing a single day ! This is going for months and months now ! And I can see the results. Do you doubt it ? Ok, just try it and you will see.

Most people just have things for granted and there is no much prayer in their life. I always had and I'm having more and more prayer in my life, thanks God.

I can see that I still struggle with some of those problems but I'm very pleased to see that on some others I am better.

And what about the others that I didn't mention here ? I jumped in and I'm getting better and better.

Yes, I'm not behind !

Partying at :
Dishing it & Digging it at Angie the Freckled Rose
Amaze me Monday at Dwellings
Inspiration Monday at Refresh Restyle
Inspire me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life

Thanksgiving

Once upon a time my husband, who was not yet my husband, and who had been in the US years before to take his Master degree and had been living after it in Europe, organized a Thanksgiving lunch for me.

We were just aquainted not even really friends, but as he has a serious interest in me, he thought that lunch would be a good way to make us closer.

It did. The lunch had several people and I thought I was only one more, I hardly knew then that it was made for me.

I must say that it was a good idea and things went very well after that, in such a way that one year later, on Thanksgiving Day, we were already married.

That's why I like Thanksgiving, even if I'm not american.

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I keep posting the above painting of Norman Rockwell on each Thanksgiving because I do like it. More than the perfect American Dream is the Family Christian Dream as it's so beautiful to see the family around the table,  everybody happy, everything nice and tidy. Quite perfect.

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This one is so beautiful too, isn't it ?

Happy ThanksGiving to all !

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And now talking about the real First Thanksgiving, you may read about it here.


Linking at Share your Style - 21 Rosemary Lane

In Christmas mode

I have been thinking on posting since yesterday so I am here now to announce:

I am in Christmas Mode

I sing Rudolph all day long, I plan the presents, the menu for the Christmas days (24 and 25), some spruce up work my house needs...

How can a person not to be happy with the holidays ahead ?

We must prepare everything with time so we will not be stressed.

I intended to wrap some presents I bought already - to say the truth I began in the end of September - but as I work outside I could not find some extra time for that yet.

Christmas time ! Such a beautiful time.
Let's give thanks to Our Lord for everything.