Novena to sell our house. Day 9.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 9 Bless all families, O Lord especially those in need. Remembering the life of your Son, we pray for the poor, for those who lack a good home, for those in exile. Grant them a protector like Joseph, O God.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed are the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory Be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

As we end this novena, our house goes live on the market today!

Novena to sell our house. Day 8.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 8 Give shelter, O God, to those who need it, and bring together families divided. Give us enough to eat, and decent work to earn our bread. Care for us, O God.

And so today, on what should be the 9th day of this novena (I messed up!), we decided to list the house with a realtor. Unfortunately, our trusty realtor, Sue Franklin, is out of town until next week. So we called for backup ... and God bless Ms. Penny ... she is ADORABLE.

When she answered the phone, I told her who I was (she knows Michael as he's friends with her son, Ben) and she said, "Oh, I love Michael!" And when I told her that Aunt Kat told me to call her she said, "Oh, I love Kat Heinen!" And when I told her that we were moving to Houston and needed to sell our house she said, "I can sell your house". She sounded just like an angel and one that I desperately need.

So thank you, St. Joe, for sending us Penny!

Novena to sell our house. Day 7.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 7 God, our Father, give your fatherly spirit to those who are fathers now. Like Joseph, give them hearts of devoted love for their wives and children and strength for forgiveness and patience.

Novena to sell our house. Day 6.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 6 God of our heavenly home, bless our home on earth. Let the spirit of Mary and Joseph rest at our table, shape our words and actions, and bring blessing to our children.

Novena to sell our house. Day 5.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 5 O God, who loves children, be kind to our children today. Give them eyes of faith for seeing far, a loving heart for welcoming life, and a place always at your side.

The kids will be in Ragin Cajun ads!

We got asked to participate in an ad campaign for UL. Wetaped the commercial a couple of weeks ago though it won't air until next year. Still pics were taken as well. The kids were dolled up in UL garb and the boys had their faces painted. Mary Beth got to sport a temporary tattoo on her face that she's still talking about today. It was so much fun and I'm sorry that we won't be here to see the finished product! Dad will be so very proud, tho.

Here's Hayes during the face painting process:

And the twins posing for me before the shoot began:

Novena to sell our house. Day 4.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 4 God of families, bless the family that's mine. Keep us safe from harm, and never let evil come between us. Let peace remain in our hearts.

Everyone gets smiles from you, Eleanor.

Including the baby on the wipes container ...

It was absolutely hysterical and oh-so-precious. I'd swaddled you and left you on my bed so I could finish up dinner for the kids. And when I came back, you were all smiles for this baby.


I couldn't help but be reminded of the twins and thought about how lucky they were to always have each other. No smiling at pictures of babies required; they each had their own real life baby!

Novena to sell our house. Day 3.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 3 O God, ever faithful, you remember us always and in time reveal your blessings. Help me trust in you, as St. Joseph faithfully trusted, and never let me lose faith in the wonderful gifts you promise me.

Novena to sell our house. Day 2.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.

St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine to sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.

Day 2 O God, you love your people and bless the ordinary lives we quietly live. As you blessed St. Joseph, bless what I do, however hidden and simple it may be, and let all I do be done with love.

To Jason, on our 7th Wedding Anniversary

It is said that every cell in our bodies change over a seven year period. So I suppose it can also be said that we start a new chapter in our life every seven years as well. And today marks seven wonderful years that I've been married to the man of my dreams. And we are, thus, embarking on a new chapter in our marriage as we prepare for our move to Houston.

We've seen high points as well as low points over the course of our marriage, though luckily enough most of them have been highs. I could go on for hours on why I think most of our moments have been well above the line of average, but the bottom line is that we are committed to our marriage. Each November 16th marks a renewal of those vows, but truth be told, we recommit ourselves each morning when we awake.

It goes unspoken most of the time, but we both know in our souls that we are in this for life. And we can see it in each others' eyes ... no need for words, really. Our children see it, too. Jason and I laugh together, we cry together and the kids get to be a part of it each and every day.

So here's to you, babe! I adore every fiber of your being and thank God for the blessing you are in my life. I will miss you terribly when you leave next Sunday ... but I am happy to have you here today (even if you are at work!).

I love you wholly,

Meg

P.S. This is how I found you and Miss E when I got out of the shower this morning. My heart nearly exploded with love. You two were too cute.

Novena to sell our house. Day 1.

Come to my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all good gifts, I come before you to honor you in your saints and ask their help in my many needs.

You promised those who ask, would receive, those who seek, would find, those who knock, would have doors opened to them.

Hear the prayers of your church, grant my requests, and pardon my sins. Amen.
St. Joseph, just and true, with a father's care you raised the child Jesus, and with a husband's love, you shared your life with Mary, his mother.

I entrust myself to your care and place in your hands this request of mine that we sell our house quickly and without problems.

In quiet Nazareth, long ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart and you followed God's will with wonderful faith.

In the quiet of my days, and in the hard choices I must make, help me follow the Spirit's guidance and believe when I cannot see.


Day 1 Oh God, guide of those who listen and helper of those who hear your voice, speak to me, as you did to St. Joseph, and help me accomplish the things you give me to do.

So today I scrub my floors on my hands and knees.

My beautiful Mary Elizabeth,

I love you. I love you. I love you.

I love how strong willed you are because I know that I'll never have to worry about you when you're older. You'll never be anyone's doormat and you'll never settle for a man who isn't worthy of your love.

But I'll be damned if your strong willed-ness doesn't drive Daddy and I absolutely nuts at times. Our day started off well enough. We'd headed to Pots and Mammie's last night after playing all afternoon at Mumsy's on the fun jump. We arrived just in time to start trick-or-treating and you looked absolutely adorable in your "fairy" outfit.

You were given the green light to eat as much candy as your little sweet-toothed self desired and after several hours of sugar high, you finally crashed around 10:00 pm. We woke up around 7:30 am and got busy with getting the boys ready for their soccer games. Once we sent the boys off with Daddy, you and I and Eleanor got ready and I headed to Mimi's to drop you with her. We thought you might enjoy the Homecoming parade more than the boys' soccer games.

And that you did. Mimi said you had a ball ... you caught toys and candy and everyone thought you looked just adorable in your UL cheerleader uniform.

I met up with you at Dude's tailgating spot and you'd just started to throw your first of many temper tantrums of the day. It seemed you weren't at all interested in eating anything of substance and you just weren't going to have Mimi (or anyone else) insist that you put something other than candy into your mouth.

This battle went on for nearly an hour and you shed many a tear and embarrassed us thoroughly with your antics. Screaming, crying, general crabbiness.

My biggest misstep of the day was threatening to take you home and not following through with it. Because God knows, we should have left hours before we actually did.

You eventually ate some boudin and Daddy and I were satisfied enough that you'd put something resembling actual nutrition into your stomach. Apparently we should have insisted instead on something higher in protein because you crashed about two hours later with one of the biggest breakdowns I've ever seen a child exhibit in public. Over a pom pom. A red and white stupid fifty cent pom pom.

You see, you had two of them and you absolutely wouldn't share with Sam. When Mammie had had enough of your attitude, she handed you down the two rows to where Daddy, Eleanor and I were sitting watching the Cajuns. And you just wouldn't stop crying. After we'd gotten embarrassed enough, as you were disturbing everyone within a 20-yard radius, Daddy picked you up to take you upstairs to calm you down.

As Daddy carried you up the stadium stairs, you proceeded to scream at the top of your lungs and kick your legs so hard that you actually hurt him. The people sitting around us thought this behavior (they had no idea Daddy was hurt) was somewhat entertaining and I laughed it off as they gave me sympathetic glances. I suppose you're not the first child to ever throw a fit of epic proportions in public, but nonetheless, it was completely and utterly horrifying to watch you behave this way.

(Daddy later confessed that he was worried the police were going to come and think he was kidnapping you by the way you were screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" at the top of your lungs.)

So here I sit. At my computer. During the third quarter of perhaps one of the most exciting Cajun football games I've ever (not) attended. And pondering how on earth we're going to survive you.

Lucky for us, at some point, you'll be some other poor soul's problem to reign in. And I suspect we've got quite a bit of grooming to do over the next, say, 18 years. Hopefully I'll maintain my sanity long enough to actually do you some good.

But in the meantime, I'm going to remind myself that your hard-headedness really does have its upsides. And for that, I'm grateful.

Love,
Mommy