"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10)

Lately I've been suffering from mild anxiety attacks, for varying reasons, like this, and this, and this, and this. I'm also trying to stay on top of homeschooling, finish fixing up the basement, clean the house more than once a month, and buy a new car. I'm still having some female problems from the miscarriage (it looks like I'm going to need a D&C), plus I haven't been sleeping well either. So I guess you could say I've got a lot on my plate right now.

So the other day when I was feeling particularly panicky (mostly about not being able to protect my children from an all-powerful nanny state), at breakfast I opened my Bible for my daily Psalm reading, and saw this:

Psalm 12
Plea for Help in Evil Times

1Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4those who say, ‘With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?’

5‘Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,’ says the Lord;
‘I will place them in the safety for which they long.’
6The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.

7You, O Lord, will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation for ever.
8On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.


I also find myself often praying the verse in this post's title. These are frightening times to try to be raising a family.

The difference between boys and girls

Katie was very excited when we got a trick-or-treating pumpkin for her from Target today. When we got home, she carried it around for a while, putting different things in it. Then, being thick in the little mommy stage, decided it needed more special treatment.


Here she is shushing it to get it to go to sleep:

"Sshhh, baby punkin..."

Now, if she had been a boy, most likely the pumpkin would have been treated like a soccer ball and kicked around, instead of babied and pushed around in a stroller.

Just an observation.

Fairy Princess in a diaper

Mr. Pickles & I were upstairs talking and Katie walked into our room looking like this:

I think the shades really make the outfit, don't you?

Say What?

Out of the mouths of Miriams:

"Mommy, will you be my toilet paper?"
[by which, of course, she means toilet paper holder]

~~~~~~~~~~

Mrs. P: Hey Miriam, Mrs. Adele had her baby!
Miriam: Ah! She did?! ...How did she push the baby out?
Mrs. P, confused: Ummmm, well, what do you think? [classic parental stalling answer]
Miriam: Did she push it out the hole in the middle?
Mrs. P, thinking this a perfect opportunity for a little sex ed.: Yes, and what it that called?
Miriam, thinking: Ummmm, Eucharist?
Mr. and Mrs. P: Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Scene: driving in the car.
Miriam: Ooh, Mommy, look, a convertible!!! [suddenly very quiet and thoughtful] How do you get a convertible?
Mrs. P: Well, you go to a car store, and you give them a LOT of money, and they give you a new convertible.
Miriam, again thoughtful; then: Daddy says he has a lot of money in the bank!!
Mrs. P: Ha ha, not that much.

We love Ikea.

Mr. Pickles found this at our local Ikea this morning:


I thought those of you who know me well would get a kick out of the name.

They are VERY tasty, too. Those Swedes know how to bake!

Whoever said money can't buy happiness...

...never bought a Winnie-the-Pooh umbrella for a four-year-old.

St. Francis Festival

This past weekend we visited the ol' Alma Mater (and accompanying families) for a fun weekend of partying, Medieval-style! :) Because it's a Franciscan School, they throw a big shindig every fall around St. Francis' feastday. This was the occasion for Miriam's medieval princess dress.

The girls were angels on the trip. They did a fair amount of this:

What, don't you like to fall asleep chewing on a gumby mouse?

I packed the car with snacks, books, and toys, plus we kept driving past fields with cows, so they stayed well entertained for the 6 hour trip. We also stopped halfway at our now traditional stopping-place, a Burger King with a playplace! Woo hoo!

We got lots of good family time. Miriam and Edy attached at the hip the instant they saw each other. We had to surgically separate them before we left.

Two beautiful princesses.

The festival itself was quite fun -- or at least, it would have been if it hadn't been drizzling the whole time. Various Households had booths set up with food, games, crafts, knick-knacks, all kinds of stuff. They even had games like "Kiss the Leper and Earn a Plenary Indulgence" and "Baptize the Heathen with a Water Balloon". Only at Steubenville!

There was even a petting zoo set up on campus, with teeny-bopper owners hovering about protectively. Miriam promptly dropped her guinea pig. Then Katie tried to grab one and it started squeaking. So we left.

I swear this is not painted on.

Later she did better with a kitten.

Painted ladies.

The highlight of the day:

Pony rides!!! Both Edy and Miriam sat very well on their horses. I thought it was cute that Edy kept trying to hold the reins and steer the horse. She knew EXACTLY what to do.

When we got too cold and soggy we went inside the student center for the living chess game. I wish I had gotten some good pictures -- I learned halfway through the game that it was Middle Earth vs. Narnia. Some of the costumes were very clever. One of the black rooks was a guy dressed as the wardrobe: he wore a big piece of cardboard with doors painted on it, and did battle with coat hangers. The other black rook was Mr. Tumnus, wearing what looked like a furry rug and carrying an umbrella. He also had ears that I'm guessing were made out of paper towels tubes. The black king was Professor Digory, played by... one of the professors! When he did battle he read out of a huge book that he carried, then whapped his opponent with it. It's good to see that the professor who taught me Greek & Roman Mythology hasn't lost his comic edge. On the side of Middle Earth, there were quite a number of elves (with bandaids for flesh-colored pointed ears) and hobbits. My favorite, however, was one of the rooks:

Barad-Dur. (At first I thought it was a rocket ship!)

After the game was over, the White Witch of Narnia gave Miriam her crown and scepter, which of course she shared with Edy.

Best friends forever!


Whenever we return from vacation, one of the things I like about unpacking is still smelling the place were we visited on our clothes. While unpacking Miriam's suitcase I held up her pajamas and told her to sniff. She inhaled deeply, smiled, and said, "Mmmmm, it smells all Haroldy!"

In case you were wondering who REALLY wears the pants in the family.

Indian Summer

We've been enjoying some lo-ver-ly weather lately, and spending all the time we can soaking up the warm sunshine! Today for homeschooling we had lots of recess. :) During this photo shoot this afternoon, I sat on our front steps and sipped a cup of tea while the girls ran back and forth.

Taking Dolly for a walk.

Katie demonstrating the proper use of a scooter. (she rarely sits on it -- she learned she can go faster by pushing!) This picture was taken milliseconds before Miriam crashed into the scooter and Katie shrieked.

Katie always waves bye-bye before she leaves.

A Slice of Pickles Life

Most of the time when Katie wakes up from her afternoon nap, she quietly creeps downstairs and says cheerfully, "Hi, Mommy!" Today, however, is not one of those days. She has been whining ever since she woke up. I pulled her into my lap to help her "hatch"while I work on the computer. She continued whining for a bit, then suddenly I realized she was unusually quiet. Looking down I saw she was taking off her socks. This accomplished, she smiled and transformed into her usually cheerful self.

Happiness is...


"yaked" feet!


Epilogue:

Katie [handing me her socks]: Eego. ("here you go")
Me: Does having free toes make you feel better?
Katie: *bellllllch* Mmmmmmm! [snuggling into me]