Blessed Martilmasse, to Ye!

It is the day of Martilmasse

Cuppes of ale should freelie pass;

What though Wynter has begunne

To push downe the Summer sunne,

To our fire we can betake,

And enjoye the crackling brake,

Never heeding Wynter’s face

On the day of Martilmasse.

~~From an Old English Ballad

Today is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. This is not a feast day I'd planned on celebrating (most feast days we just read about the saint's life, some we enjoy some special foods or crafts), but there are lots of fun traditions surrounding his feast day! It is also Veteran's Day and St. Martin is an excellent saint for Veteran's Day.

Here's a brief biography from Catholic Culture:

St. Martin was born (c. 316) at Sabaria, a town in Pannonia near the famous Benedictine monastery dedicated to his name. Against the wishes of his parents he associated with Christians and became a catechumen at the age of ten. At fifteen he entered the army and served under the Emperors Constantius and Julian. While in the service he met a poor, naked beggar at the gates of Amiens who asked alms in Christ's Name. Martin had nothing with him except his weapons and soldier's mantle; but he took his sword, cut the latter in two, and gave half to the poor man. During the following night Christ appeared to him clothed with half a mantle and said, "Martin, the catechumen, has clothed Me with this mantle!"

Martin was eighteen years old when he received the sacrament of holy baptism. At the pleading of his superior officer, he remained two years longer in the army. Then, upon requesting dismissal, Julian accused him of cowardice. "With the sign of the Cross," Martin answered, "I shall more certainly break through the ranks of the enemy than if armed with shield and sword."

Want a bit more? Here is a nice biography of St. Martin and a history of traditions from Fisheaters. I thought this was particularly interesting:

St. Martin's remaining piece of cloak became a very revered relic. In fact, the building where his cloak -- "cappa" in Latin -- was preserved was known as the "cappella," the root of our words "chapel" and "chaplain."

Some ideas for celebrating:

• Since St. Martin is known for giving half his cloak to a poor man, perhaps today would be a good day to purge your wardrobe for clothes that could be given away. (Or, if you are like me, take that bag of clothes you already purged and has been sitting in the garage for a month to GoodWill.)
• Enjoy some traditional Martinmas foods: roast goose, wine or grapes, horseshoe shaped cookies or cake. Here are some other ideas.
• Enjoy an online tour of St. Martin's Cathedral in Tours, France. And some good interior views.
• Watch a YouTube presentation (2 minutes).
• Explore Catholic Culture's page on Martin of Tours.

St Martin's tomb

A blessing at table:

Lord God, source of all that is good, we praise your holy name on this day in which we celebrate the memory of your faithful servant, Martin of Tours. By the example of his life, renew in us the desire to follow daily in the footsteps of Christ, your Son. Bless this nourishment, which we receive from your bounty. May it strengthen us for your service. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~From the book Table Blessings: Mealtime Prayers Throughout the Year by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette

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One Year Ago Today. . .

Feast of St. Leo the Great

One year ago today, we received and accepted, the referral of our fourth child and second daughter, Baby L. Here is the first photo we saw of her. . .

And here she is a year later. . .

We are celebrating today with a homemade cake and Jollof Rice - my first attempt at some good Ghanaian cooking. Updated to add - I decided instead to use this recipe for Jollof - a little simpler.

Blessed Feast of St. Leo to you!

Daybook - Monday, November 9th

Daybook for November 9th, 2009

outside my window . . .

low early morning light, crisp air, a slightly veiled blue sky. Rain today, maybe?

in the kitchen . . .

Roasting a chicken today with a good pot of soup to follow tomorrow. Hopefully a batch of freshly baked bread (don't be overly impressed any homemade bread is from my bread maker and you know how easy that is).

around the house . . .

with my dear husband's help we managed to tame a snarling pile of laundry last week. But now comes the hard part: putting it away. It is my weakness.

on my iPod . . .

Four more CiRCE talks:

Leah Lutz - Integration, Imitation, Contemplation: The Natural Order of the Curriculum

Debbie Harris - Nature's Five Great Truths: God's Revelation Through Nature as a Tool in the Classroom

Andrew Kern - The Canons of Rhetoric: The Deep Logic of the Language Arts

and the first of the colloquies- John Hodges, on a CS Lewis quote: "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world.

don't miss the chance to hear some other great CiRCE Conference talks yourself!

from our studies . . .

Reading about Japanese history the next couple days. From the Baldwin Project: Child's Life in Japan and Japan: Peeps at History (selections from this). Also some Japanese fairy and folk tales.

thinking about . . .

Thanksgiving just around the corner, then Advent and Christmas, but wondering WHY in the WORLD my local Christian radio station is already playing Christmas music. Don't they understand that they are just playing into the commercialization? Why not choose to stand counter to the culture? Oh, yea, they don't want to loose those listeners to the secular stations that are starting their holiday push. *sigh*

~~~

listening to. . .

Baby peeping. Cat's bell tinkling as she sneaks up the stairs. Middle daughter busily, and almost silently, crafting some new creation of paper and tape.

thankful for. . .

my kids starting to get better after a sick week...and my inner ear clearing up a bit. Unfortunately, poor hubby is now coming down with the funk.

pondering the words . . .

"What Aristotle meant, at least in part, was that, since our nature desires knowledge, we derive pleasure simply from knowing. We do not need to apply it, make it “relevant,” or derive some practical application from our knowledge."

From Andrew Kern at Quiddity, the CiRCE blog.

reading . . .

Nothing new, same books as last week.

creating . . .

Just finished the girls' hats - so cute! I might have to make one for myself. I love having a crochet project going . . . gives me something to do with my hands when I'm relaxing.

~~~

one of my favorite things . . .

my big white robe. It is just the right weight for winter or summer. I think it needs a soak in some bleach, however, because it is looking a little less than "bright".

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .

The usual: Art, Classical Conversations, and Drama. A special anniversary for our family on Wedneday. Hubby has an annual board meeting with his ministry partners this weekend. Family friend, Uncle Peter, will be coming to stay for a night or two. Maybe a special playdate/sleepover for middle daughter.

a picture thought I'm sharing . . .

Mushrooms recently discovered on a nature walk.

Enjoy more Daybooks at Peggy's!

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Saturday Evening Blog Post for October

Here's a fun round-up of posts from the last month.

Swing by to read and/or submit your own!

I chose to submit two posts: Holy Poverty and Embracing All Hallows Eve because they're about something I love: the Church Year!

Have a lovely Saturday!

Finding Excellence in Home Education Resources

My family began our home education journey nearly 7 years ago. If you are a home educator, you probably remember all the resources you devoured as you tried to wrap your head around this crazy idea called Home Education. I was blessed to have access to a great local church's library that stocked quite a number of home education resources which I quickly worked my way through.

There were so many resources that had a great influence on our home education journey, but the one that has had the best and most enduring influence is the CiRCE Institute.

The CiRCE Institute is committed to promoting and supporting classical education in the school and in the home. CiRCE's president, Andrew Kern, is a man with a great sense of humor and humility. He's written books, articles, blogs, and each year presents a knock-out conference that features speakers like:

Dr James Taylor

Martin Cothran

Ken Myers

Cheryl Lowe

John Hodges

Tracy Lee Simmons

James Daniels

Evan Wilson

Wes Callihan

Cathy Duffy

Bryan Smith

Vigen Guroian

Laura Berquist

Andrew Pudewa

I've had the privilege of attending one of the conferences and have purchased 3 of the conference CD sets, which I listen to regularly for inspiration and encouragement. I cannot recommend CiRCE as a source of inspiration and information for home educators highly enough!

So, how would you like the opportunity to enjoy some free resources from the CiRCE Institute? Read ON!

CiRCE has just recently launched their 2009 Fundraising Campaign called "Further Up, Further In". If you make a donation of ANY amount, you will be able to download SEVEN conference talks. The conference talks usually are priced for download at $6 a piece, so this is an excellent opportunity!

The talks available are listed on CiRCE's Fundraiser page. There are some excellent speakers! (Harris, Kern, Pudewa, Taylor, Berquist, Myers, and Daniels)

I hope you'll take a moment to follow those links to CiRCE's home page and Fundraiser page and consider supporting this organization that does so much to support classical educators.

I'm not getting any payment or freebies for this promotion . . . just the joy of sharing CiRCE with you and the pleasure of helping them keep doing the work they do.

Daybook - Tuesday, November 3rd

Daybook, or perhaps Nightbook, for November 3rd, 2009

outside my window . . .

The night has fallen suddenly. It will take a few days for me to get used to the earlier sunsets.

in the kitchen . . .

Cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot yesterday, broth made in said crockpot overnight, and chicken and rice soup tonight. Super easy and delicious!

around the house . . .

My laundry is seriously starting to pile up.

from our studies . . .

We finished House of the Sixty Fathers today. Such a sad, sweet story. The last word: The heart understands without words. Proud of eldest son (DS 13) who made a great effort with his Logic this week . . . my brain hurts, though. Middle son (DS 10) loves perimeter - I'm thinking I can sneak in some addition practice with perimeter problems. Middle daughter (DD7) is making great strides in reading!

thinking about . . .

introverts and the church - how modern evangelicalism's extroversion tends to look on introverts as less spiritual.

~~~

listening to. . .

my kids experimenting with a tin can "phone" - although I think they've given up on the phone part and are just knocking it around the house.

thankful for. . .

that crockpot chicken - I was under the weather today and not having to cook was a lifesaver.

pondering the words . . .

You do not realize the value of the good you are doing. Think of how the farmer sows without seeing his crop in front of him. He trusts in the land to deliver his harvest. So why don't you put your trust in God? The day of the harvest will surely come.Imagine yourself in the middle of the planting season. The more we sow today, the more we can reap tomorrow. Remember those words of Holy scripture: "He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Ps 125:6).

St Augustine, Sermon 102,5 - HT The Happy Catholic

reading . . .

Flannery O'Connor: The Complete Stories, Lost to the West, and still the Divine Comedy

kids are reading: Wind in the Willows, Children's Homer, Pocahontas and the Strangers, The Dawn Treader, The Lord of the Rings, and just finished H

ouse of the Sixty Fathers.

creating . . .

trying to finish up some hats . . . just haven't found the time, yet! But at least now I have a wonderful yarn tote from my friend, Julie, to carry my project around with me.

~~~

one of my favorite things . . .

My mini rolling oil heater. It takes the chill off our bathroom on these early fall and winter mornings...it is so toasty warm!

milestones in the past week . . .

Baby L has 4 teeth coming in, that is a total of 6 teeth!

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .

Going to see a show at our Children's Theatre on Thursday, and African music and dance show!

a picture thought. . .

Youngest daughter (DD1), aka Baby L, and I enjoying a giggle and a box of dots.

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Saints and Seasons - November 2009

Upcoming Saints' days and seasons for November.

November 1
All Saints

November 2
All Souls

November 3

Richard Hooker

November 10

Leo the Great

November 11
Martin of Tours

A Trio of royal women Saints:

November 16

Margaret of Scotland

November 17

Elizabeth of Hungary (Anglican churches traditionally celebrate her on the 19th, but I'm sticking with the Roman church's date since it works so nicely to celebrate all three back to back)

November 18

Hilda of Whitby

November 22

Christ the King Sunday

November 23

Clement of Rome

November 29

First Sunday of Advent

November 30
St. Andrew

This is not a complete list, but reflects important Anglican and traditional Western church observances. If you have some you'd like to add, please leave a comment. And if you post about how you celebrate a feast day or season, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, too!


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All Saints' Day

Too tired to blog, so here are some links . . .

Updated to add a HT to my bloggy friend Jessica at Homemaking Through the Church Year for the first link below.

Susanne Dietze at Tea and a Good Book has a lovely post on All Saints. I hope you'll stop by and enjoy the whole thing. Here is a snippet:

"But these capital “S” folks aren’t the only ones invited to the All Saint’s party. We are too, and it’s an interesting perspective to realize that we live among saints, present and future (as we do future non-saints). As C.S. Lewis put it, each person we encounter is immortal and heading toward one of two eternal destinations. If that statement doesn't shake you into trying to woo others heavenward, I don't know what does."


John Mark Reynolds blogs at The Scriptorium: "Never Alone: All Saints Day":

There is hope, because someone, some hundreds of thousands probably, have faced worse and gone one to victory. God’s grace is sufficient and the ever growing band of victorious Christians is to His glory and honor. We never are alone in our struggle, because millions of brothers and sisters are done with their labor and wait for us to join them.

What are we doing for All Saints'? Well, the girls and I stayed home (Baby L was wiped out and so was DD7) while boys are off at church. I'm roasting the pumpkin seeds right now. We will meet hubby and boys at Trader Joe's after church and then we are headed to Costco to stock up on supplies. Home for naps and the football game. I might get adventurous and make pumpkin puree today (to later turn into pumpkin pies). I have 4 mini pumpkins that did not get cut or painted, so they are just perfect for pie-making!

Welcome to November!

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Our Halloween - 2009

Our old neighbors (Dear Neighbor's family) joined us for Trick-or-Treating. It is a tradition and wouldn't be Halloween without their company! Here are some photos from our day . . .

Everyone is anxious for the Trick-or-Treating to begin!

Here's our Jack-O-Lantern.

Daddy and LoveBug (dressed as a flower - the flower headdress made by her big sister).

The Whole Gang!

The HAUL. Our kids have three days of unfettered candy access (and then it all gets tossed out).

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Peter Piper's Picks: Oct 31st - Halloween Edition

All Hallow's Eve

Fast Facts about Halloween 2009. 23.8 lbs of candy consumed per capita by Americans in 2008. Whoa.

So, how much do you know about candy? Take the Candy Quiz and find out. Did you beat my score of 12 out of 15.

Some fun Halloween recipes. Our family favorite Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (we sprinkle ours with Old Bay Seasoning for some kick!)

This is a creative and FUN professor from Biola University. Enjoy his Halloween math lecture.

Want a meaty read while you sit by the front door passing out Halloween candy? Try Monsters and the Moral Imagination.

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Embracing All Hallow's Eve

My husband and I have decided that, whatever the original basis for this holiday (a debate in itself), since it has been a Christian Holy Day since the 9th century (actually as early as the 4th century, but on another day of the year before it was transferred to Nov 1st) we are going to continue to celebrate All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween.

We will carve our pumpkin tomorrow and roast the seeds.

Our kids will dress up as Rambo, a Native American, the Little Mermaid, and a Flower. I'll sit on the front porch enjoying talking with the neighbors as they shepherd their little masqueraders around. Hubby will take to the streets with our gang catching up with some of our neighbors, including those we only see on this night. (Ah, modern life!)

The kids will return with smeared face paint, pounds of candy, and funny stories to tell about the Fun and Spooky house one neighbor runs each year. (The people who run that house are considered the nicest in the neighborhood by all the kids!) We'll talk about some of the scary costumes they saw and some of the funny ones. And we'll have a chance to talk about our victory over death and all the evil of the world, and why we take this night to poke a little fun at that which, as Christians, ultimately has no dominion over us. But also about the reality of evil in this world and our need to keep our guard up.

Many Christians will not agree with us, and that is OK. I'm not going to try to convince you one way or the other, but if you are interested in reading some of the reasons Christians choose to continue celebrating Halloween, read on . . .

A good basic, protestant apology:

"Thus, the festivities on All Hallow's Eve were the Christian's way of laughing at death and evil, something we can do in certain hope of Christ's victory over the powers of darkness. The Church for centuries, however, has seen All Hallow's Eve not as a glorification of evil, but as a chance to affirm eternal life in the face of the death of our mortal bodies. Just as Easter is a celebration of Jesus' victory over death and evil, so is Halloween!"

Some background on the early Christian celebration of All Saints:

"At the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth the most vicious of all persecutions occurred, that of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). The martyrs became so many that in some places it was impossible to commemorate even the most significant of them. The need for a common feast of all martyrs was becoming evident. This common feast became a reality in some places, but on various dates, as early as the middle of the fourth century."

Image Source

A North Carolina Homeschooling mother I'd really like to meet, Sally Thomas, and one of my favorite First Things contributors offers her thoughts on The Drama of Hallowmas:

"To step outside on Halloween dressed as someone—or something—other than yourself is to step into a narrative that acknowledges that the membrane between our workaday, material world and the unseen realm of spirits is far thinner and more permeable than many of us like to think."

iMonk has a provocative post (My Annual Halloween Rant):

"It bothers me that the Biblical message about Satan would be co-opted by the fear-mongering and manipulation of the hucksters. (Read The Screwtape Letters for some real Satanism.)"

and a The Great Pumpkin Proposes a Toast (don't miss it!):

"Particularly painful for many of us are the escalating attacks of religious people on the realm of the imagination. We have suffered from those who see the imagination as a gateway of evil, rather than a canvas on which human nature itself paints the picture. We have been blamed for violence and even death, things we would not even know were it not for human beings investing us with those actions in their own minds. It is as if some religious people actually believe that we exist- that we are real and were somehow a threat to them."

What are you doing for Halloween?

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Fun Latin Phrases

While I'd like to start my kids on Latin early in their academic careers, that hasn't happened, yet. So, instead of kicking myself, I've found another way to at least get some Latin into their heads. Memorizing verb conjugations, noun declensions, and vocabulary is certainly another way, but we are having a blast with fun Latin phrases.

Want to give it a try? Here are some resources:

• Latin For Fun this blog has a link to the list I use.
• Modern Life Latin Phrases (there is at least on curse word, so don't just print this and hand it to your kids)
• For older students
• Quotes with a sense of humor

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Daybook - Monday, October 26th

Daybook for October 26 , 2009

outside my window . . .

the trees here are almost in full autumn color; lots of green tipped with yellow and orange.

in the kitchen . . .

the weather looks like "soup weather", probably a potato soup.

around the house . . .

unpacking from my weekend retreat in Myrtle Beach.

from our studies . . .

added some "poetics" to our studies: picture study, composer study, poetry memorization, book of centuries, and nature study. The younger kids (7 and 10) really enjoyed the new activities.

thinking about . . .

Christmas only being 9 (or is it 8 now?) weeks away.

~~~

listening to. . .

my kids watch "To Catch A Thief".

thankful for. . .

a long walk on the beach.

pondering the words . . .

"He leads me beside still waters"

reading . . .

rereading my notes from my weekend retreat.

~~~

one of my favorite things . . .

a cozy, warm wrap my mom gave me for my birthday.

milestones in the past week . . .

my first overnight away from Baby L. It was a little stressful for her, and I missed her, but she did fairly well.

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .

two birthday parties for DD7 this weekend, and of course Halloween!

You might enjoy reading more Daybooks at Peggy's place.

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A new wind blowing in our homeschool

Yesterday was one of those homeschool days you'd like to encase in plastic and pull out every now and then when you need some encouragement. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but it did, and it was delightful!

How long I'm not sure, but with growling intensity I've recently felt the keen lack of the more "poetic" in our homeshcool. It came to a "head" of sorts in a discussion on an online classical education group and on Cindy's blog. So, over the past week, I've spent some time reviewing what we are doing and what we are missing.

I'm quite committed to the classical model, but there are aspects of Charlotte Mason that go along well with that model: nature study, picture study, composer/music study, poetry memorization, and some others.

On Thursday, I rolled out a new plan for my younger students incorporating these. Here is our basic plan (new stuff in italics):

Morning Time
Bible reading (at breakfast)

Music (just enjoying while we do our chores: Brahms' Hungarian Dances this week)

Tongue Twister (for enunciation)

Poetry (reading)

Memory: a bible verse and short poem for DD7, and Pslam 23 and "Song of Mr Toad" for DD10

Latin Phrase (we are "memorizing" a latin phrase each week, some quite funny)

Saints & Seasons: Reading from _Trial and Triumph_ each day, or a saint bio on their feast day

Individudal Studies with each student

Math and English Studies, now including narrations and eventually dictation

and what I am calling "Copia", meaning abundance. One of the following each day:

Shakespeare (_Tales from Shakespeare_ for DD7, 1 play per semester, slowly read with DS10. ),

Historical Tales & Bios (_Fifty Famous Stories_ for DD7, _Augustus Caesar's World_ by G Foster for DS10),

Literature (_Winnie the Pooh_ - DD7, _The Hobbit_ - DS10), and

American History stories (various biographies for DD7, starting with _Pocahontas and the Strangers_, and _This Country of Ours_ for DS10).

CC Memory Work and Literary/Classical stories

Quick review of Timeline, Math, Science, Bible on Th, Fr and Timeline, Math, History, Geography on M, Tu.

Alternating between worthy children's literature and classical stories: _Wind and the Willows_ and _The Children's Homer_

Afternoon Time

Science reading and activities (Th, Fr) and History reading and activities (M, Tu). These readings go along with our CC history and science memory work.

Composer Study (Tu)

Nature Study (Tu, Th) - very brief observations, but with "Park Days" here and there.

Picture Study (Thurs)

Book of Centuries (Fr)

Most of this new stuff comes from Ambleside Online's suggested rotations and resources. If you are not familiar with Ambleside and would like to add the poetic to your day, you'll find Ambleside an excellent resource. And it is Entirely Free.

This post is part of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschooler's Weekly Wrap-Up.

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Daybook - Monday, October 19th

Daybook for Monday October 19th, 2009

outside my window . . .

it is frosty! The early morning frost has melted off, but the thermometer still says it is c-c-c-old!

in the kitchen . . .

oh, my kitchen is an absolute MESS. No cooking will be attempted or even thought about until I manage to get the dishes done.

around the house . . .

the house is a bit the same as the kitchen. I think we are going to have a "clean up" day around here. (Very Busy Weekend - always leads to a Very Messy House)

on my iPod . . .

more CiRCE conference CDs. Also, two episodes of CharlotteTalks - one with Richard Dawkins and the other with Bishop John Spong. If you are around me and I'm muttering angrily to myself, I'm probably listening to one of these two guys.

from our studies . . .

hopefully, an India Lapbook. Also, we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know Tien Pao from "The House of Sixty Fathers".

~~~

listening to. . .
hubby's conference call . . . daughter "flying" her paper mermaid around the house, I suppose she is "swimming" her about rather than flying . . . creaking of the floor upstairs means another child may be rousing.

thankful for. . .

a beautiful drive through the mountains yesterday to see family. The mountains were topped with a delicate frosting of snow that melted into gorgeous fall colors further below.

pondering the words . . . From Cindy at Ordo Amoris (Dominion Family):

II Corinthians 3:6 "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life."

In fact, as much as we need systems, ultimately they will kill us. The life is in the blood. This can almost be applied across the board.

Grammar is a good thing. We cannot write without it. We cannot communicate without it but it isn't the only thing. If we approach writing as a purely grammatical exercise we will kill ideas.

Systematic theology is a good thing. We cannot understand the Bible without it. But if our theology is merely systematic it is dead.

The law (Pentateuch) was a good thing but it was powerless to save.

Systems are tools. They help us find the real things. Unfortunately, many people are happy when they have found a system. They never look up from their scavenging in the rubble to see the reality of the thing they are searching for.

Very often it is the conservative, Christian wing of the world that enjoys substituting the tool for the thing. The problem is that you can have a measure of success with a system but in the end you are left bankrupt and confused (Col 2).

Read the rest.

~~~

reading . . .

a new First Things magazine came in the mail this weekend! Still reading Divine Comedy, Four Loves (re-read), Flannery O'Connor's collected stories, and Lost to The West. And probably another book or two I've forgotten about.

creating . . .

finishing up a crochet hat for DD1 and starting one for DD7

praying . . .

for our women's retreat team and a dear family coming up on a difficult anniversary.

~~~

to foster rhythm and beauty . . .

after an unusually busy weekend, we are going to take the day to get our home and routine back in order.

to live the liturgy . . .

adding night prayer to my daily prayer.

to educate faithfully . . .

feeling a lack of the poetic (and I don't just mean poetry) in our homeschool, so I'm reviewing what we are doing a bit to see where we might foster that a bit more.

~~~

one of my favorite things . . .

my delightfully cozy flannel sheets!

milestones in the past week . . . Baby L has learned her first sign: "More"! She's found this particularly helpful when asking for second sharings of ice cream from big sister. (We've decided to teach some "baby signs" to help her with her language which can be delayed in international adoptees. We haven't necessarily seen any signs of that, but hope it might help to get out in front of it, as they say.)

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .

getting ready for our church's annual Women's Retreat this weekend!

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