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A few months before I started this blog, I read about Drummond in Ladies' Home Journal, and at the bottom of the article it mentioned that she also had a blog, http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. I thought she sounded interesting and I liked her style--witty, wry, self-deprecating; I was intrigued, so I checked out her blog and was instantly hooked. Before I went on the Pioneer Woman website, I had only read one blog in my entire life--my daughter-in-law's; now, suddenly, I was a follower of not one blog, but two! (The computer was no longer my enemy and I was coming into the 21st century, finally.)
Ree Drummond started her award-winning blog in 2006. On it, she posts stories about her family and daily life on their cattle ranch, she shares awesome recipes (that use lots of butter!), and she showcases samples of her photography. When she talks about the goings-on at the ranch with her husband and four kids, she can be so hilarious that I have found myself sitting at my computer, all alone but laughing out loud (LOL, as the young whippersnappers are saying these days). Ree Drummond's website has a huge following, and she's become quite famous; she's appeared on television shows and published not only this book, but a cookbook and a children's book as well.
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is the true story of how Drummond met and fell in love with her husband, whom she refers to as "Marlboro Man." She says she woke up one day with writer's block and had no idea what to post on her blog, so she decided to tell the story of the night she (an avowed city girl) met her future husband (a cowboy/rancher) in a bar. Although an unlikely match, sparks flew! Her followers loved it so much that they clamored for more, and she continued to write about their funny, passion-filled (but PG-rated, I assure you) courtship in installments until she had the makings of a book, which just came out this year.
This is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a while! Ree Drummond calls her love story "a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne western rolled into one." She is such a wonderful writer, I could hardly put her book down once I'd started it.
On the back of the book jacket, one reader gave it this tribute: "The best romance since Gone with the Wind." Another said, "One word: swoon." Drummond herself, in her typical humorous fashion, describes it thus: "It's the story of a cowboy. And Wranglers. And chaps. And the girl who fell in love with them."
So grab a cup of coffee and your favorite bookmark (the one in the picture is courtesy of my youngest son, a precious Mother's Day gift that he made for me with his own two little hands in 1st grade in 2000), curl up on the couch, and dive into Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. I think you'll enjoy the ride!
I find it so uplifting and inspiring to look at holy pictures and statues, and we have many of them around our house. Here is one of my favorites. It is an Italian-made plaster statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was bought for me as a gift by my #4 son many years ago, when he was just a little boy, at a garage sale fundraiser at our Catholic elementary school. He only paid $1.00 for it, but this statue is priceless to me. It was dirty and chipped and in need of some TLC when my son gave it to me, but I painstakingly restored it to its original beauty; I repainted it and even bought some gold leaf to touch up the Rosary hanging from Our Lady's belt and the decorations that adorn Her white gown. There is something so sweet and beautiful about this statue, especially the serene expression on Mary's face. I love to look at it.
The veneration of holy statues and images--of Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, and the saints--is as old as Christianity itself, but many people don't understand the Catholic use of such imagery. Non-Catholics sometimes accuse Catholics of "worshipping statues." A Protestant to whom I'm very close once actually said that to me, and I was completely unprepared to explain why my friend was wrong. I first got tongue-tied and then very defensive, and I didn't know how to tell him what I knew was the truth. I vowed that I would be better prepared to defend the practice of venerating holy images the next time the subject arose.
In a publication called The Fatima Crusader, I recently read an article that perfectly explains the reasons why Catholics venerate sacred statues and images. Here are some direct quotes from this article, titled "The Veneration of Images and Saints."
"The veneration of images answers a need of our human nature; we respect portraits of those whom we love or esteem; moreover it is the will of God that man, who lost true happiness for the sake of material things, should regain them by means of material things."
"The reverence we pay to the image of a saint is not paid to the picture or image itself, but to the individual it respresents; that is, to Christ, to Our Lady, or one of the saints."
"...in venerating images, we express our love for the person these images represent."
"It is not from the images themselves that we ask help, it is from God, through the intercession of Our Lady and the saints. None but the heathen imagine that there is any virtue or supernatural power in the image itself."
"While gazing upon an image we pray with greater recollection; images are steps whereby we ascend more easily in spirit to Heaven."
"They are also a constant admonition to us; either by placing vividly before us one of the truths of religion, or exhorting us to imitate the example of the saint."
"The work of the artist does indeed often prove to be more influential than the words of the preacher, for the impressions we receive through the ear have less impact upon the mind than those which we receive through the eye."
I could quote the entire article, but those are the main points. And all of this would apply, too, when answering the question, "Why are Catholic churches decorated so ornately? Isn't it a waste of money?" No! Because when a church is beautifully decorated, and adorned with eye-pleasing holy statues and images, it helps those gathered in it to "ascend more easily in spirit to Heaven."
I know it's only May, but I think any time is a good time to make a Christmas ornament. And even if you're not in the mood now, you can start saving the lids to use later on.