Just Because: My New Favorite Heroine, ST. RUTH!

This is becoming a huge favorite of mine--this "Just Because" link-up with Rosie over at A Blog for My Mom. Back in 2011 when I started my little String o' Pearls (the blog formerly known as String of Pearls), Rosie was one of the first Catholic bloggers I discovered, followed, and corresponded with.  I'm so glad that she's still here, when so many of the other gals I used to hang out with in the blogosphere have abandoned this platform for the more popular, higher visibility world of  Instagram (which I kind of did, too, I must admit--that is, before I decided to give up my other social media accounts, cold turkey).  Thanks, Rosie, for sticking around, and for giving the rest of us die-hard bloggers a place to connect each week! 

I mentioned in a post not too long ago that my husband and I are doing Ascension Press's Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz.  Wow!  Just wow.  I can't recommend this podcast series highly enough; I'm telling you, it has been kind of life-changing for me.  As a cradle Catholic who loves and tries to live her Faith, it's embarrassing to admit how little time I have spent in my 62 years on this planet actually reading the Bible (and I'm a person who LOVES to read!).  I am learning so much, and I can't think of a better teacher than Fr. Mike, who explains each day's readings with gentle humor and enormous compassion.  And boy oh boy, do we humans need a lot of compassion and forgiveness!

Human beings being prone to sin is not a new concept; one need only to read the Old Testament to understand how very fallen our nature really is, and how much we need God.  I look around the world today and am shocked and dismayed by how far from God and His teachings it has wandered; but reading the Bible makes me realize that what we are seeing these days is nothing new.  From the earliest days of human life on earth (pretty much on day one we had the Adam and Eve debacle), this turning away from God has happened over and over and over--indeed, we are a "stiff-necked people."   God's chosen people, the Israelites whom He brought out of slavery in Egypt and promised a land flowing with milk and honey,  kept messing up--big time!--and then desperately beseeching His forgiveness and help.  And time after time, God in His infinite mercy saved His people from utter disaster.  The tale of human history that the Bible tells illustrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that God gave us the Ten Commandments for our own good, not to make our lives harder but to make them infinitely easier.  It's only when we break those commandments that we suffer in body, mind, and soul.

Anyway, today is day 97 out of 365, and we've already read through Genesis, Job, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, and Ruth, with portions of Psalms and Proverbs mixed in there, and we are currently going through the first book of Samuel. And I have to say, I have become a great fan of Ruth, about whom I knew very little before starting this Bible in a Year study.  The Book of Ruth is just four chapters long, but it made quite an impact on me.

You probably know the story of Ruth already; but I'll give a quick synopsis of it here anyway.  An Israelite man named Elimelech (husband of Naomi) and his two sons, Mahlon and Killion, all die, leaving three grieving widows.  Ruth, the widow of Mahlon, is a Moabite.  She was raised in a pagan family but is drawn to the faith of her husband's family. Naomi loves her daughters-in-law very much, and they in turn love her; but nonetheless after her sons' deaths she encourages both of them to return home to their parents, so that they will not be destitute.  But Ruth is so devoted to Naomi and her new faith that she refuses to return to her own people.  "Whither thou goest, I will go.  Thy name shall be my name, and thy God my God," declares Ruth.  

Ruth is considered a model of bravery, faith, and obedience, and she is rewarded for these traits.  She is determined to support herself and Naomi and goes to work for a man named Boaz, who is a kinsman of her late husband, toiling in his fields from morning 'til night.  Boaz ends up marrying Ruth, and from their line comes their great-grandson,  King David.  And of course, this means that Jesus is a direct descendant of Ruth's.

After we finished the Book of Ruth, I told my husband that I thought I should make my five daughters-in-law read it, if they haven't already.  You know, as a reference, as a guide for how to act if you want to be Mom Pearl's favorite.  Ha ha!  (Seriously, though, I would never ask my girls to leave their people for my sake; but I know that they would do just about anything for me other than that, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I am an exceedingly lucky mother-in-law. And I have five favorite daughters-in law.)

Here at the blog, I've named my girls Regina, Ginger, Preciosa, Braveheart, and Babisiu. I think perhaps I shall rename them Ruth 1, Ruth 2, Ruth 3, Ruth 4, and Ruth 5 (with their numbers corresponding to their husband's birth order).  What do you think?

I wish I had a picture of all five of my daughters-in-law together, but unfortunately I don't.  (Babisiu/Ruth 5, in those last two pictures, just joined us in 2019, and she and our youngest son are the only ones who don't live close-by in VA. YET.  #goals)

I'm ashamed to admit that I always thought that familiar line, "Whither thou goest, I will go," was meant to be romantic.  It reminded me of something one of the Bronte sisters might have penned for a desperate female character to say to a handsome and mysterious love interest who was about to leave her behind.  But instead, it is actually a much more deeply meaningful sentiment than any you might find in a fictional love story.  Ruth's refusal to leave Naomi is especially poignant when you realize that at that time, in that part of the world, if a widow didn't return to her family in order to find a new husband among her kin, she would be destined to a life of poverty and loneliness. Ruth was brave enough to face such a future if necessary, out of love for Naomi and devotion to her God.

I just love hard-working, self-sacrificing, God-fearing Ruth.  She's my new favorite Biblical heroine.  And I bet she was Naomi's favorite.  [Insert winky-face emoji here.]

That's it for me. Now whither shall thou goest?  How about thou goest on over to Rosie's?  

Welcome to the Church, Quartus!

There's a new little Christian in town!  Yesterday, the youngest of our 17 grandchildren officially entered into the Body of Christ through the sacrament of Baptism.  He was, as his oldest brother (5-year-old Junior) said, "very brave."  He didn't cry a bit, even when the water was poured over his head, and he was his usual adorable self throughout the proceedings. 

What a beautiful thing to witness, and how blessed we feel to be living close enough to be present for these momentous occasions in our grandchildren's lives.

I haven't named this newest Pearl (who has not just two but three beautiful saints' names) here at the blog yet; but his daddy took four years of Latin in high school, and he used to joke about naming his children Primus, Secondus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus (as in First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth)...so since this almost 4-month-old little guy is the fourth-born in a line-up of four boys, I hereby dub him "Quartus."

There was a lovely family party afterward at Quartus's house.  His parents made the cutest bunting to hang as a decoration, with pictures of his adorable little noggin sporting priestly headgear, and his mom joked to me that she hoped it would be used at his ordination party someday.  (Is that a good Catholic mama, or what?)

It was a grand day all around.  Welcome to the Church, Quartus!

(Now head on over to Rosie's--to see what's shaking, and well, just because it's time for a Just Because Link-Up!)

Just Because: An American Girls Dinner, Granddaughters, and Living Dolls

A few weeks ago, one of our oldest son's daughters (an almost 8-year-old little lady whom I've dubbed "Little Gal" on this blog) handed me a handwritten invitation addressed "To Papa and Grammy."  A few days prior, her mom had asked me if there were any nights that weekend that we would be available to come for a "special dinner."  I figured this invitation had something to do with that, and as a matter of fact it did: we were being invited to join their family on either Friday or Sunday night for dinner, to enjoy drinks and dishes that the four girls (aged 5-9) were planning to prepare themselves--with a little help from their parents--using recipes from their American Girl cookbooks.

Since we all try to avoid eating meat on Fridays, we decided that we would come over on the following Sunday (January 24).

I tell you, this meal lovingly prepared by my very favorite American Girl enthusiasts was truly delicious, with each granddaughter picking out two items to prepare (from scratch!) from their Felicity, Molly, Kit, and Samantha cookbooks.  There was pretty china to eat on.  And there were even place cards hand-lettered by the 9-year-old twin known here at the blog as "Cutie Pie."

We started with deviled eggs for an appetizer and fruit tea to drink; for the main course there was a green salad and homemade bread, and beef hash with green beans on the side; and for dessert, applesauce cupcakes (and also lemon ice, but it had not frozen fully in time to have it that night).  I could do a real photo dump here, because I was so impressed by the spread that I took pictures of everything.  But instead, I made a little collage that would take up less space on this post.

Each serving dish had a little sign nearby telling what that recipe was called.  There was more 
information about all the dishes and their historical origins on the backs of the signs--but I only took pictures of the fronts.

Speaking of granddaughters: they are delightful creatures!  Living dolls.  I raised only boys (five of them), but those boys have given me nine little girls to love (so far!), and I am enjoying things I never got to do before I became a Grammy, among them sewing special occasion dresses and giving baby dolls as gifts.  Not to mention getting invited to American Girl dinners.   There's a lot more pink and purple in my life these days, a lot more hair bows and painted fingernails.  And it's a whole new kind of fun for me.

Here are my five youngest granddaughters--from two different families--wearing the matching dresses their Grammy gave them to wear this past Christmas (bought at an after-Christmas sale a year earlier, and thank goodness they fit!). CAN.  YOU.  EVEN?!

I can't.

On the subject of things that my boys didn't care about but my granddaughters do, let's talk DOLLS.

In the mid-'90's, when our youngest son was a toddler, I spent a couple of years enjoying a weekly porcelain doll-making class, attending when my airline pilot husband was not on a trip and could be home with our boys.  At the time, I thought that if I was blessed with a daughter in the future, the dolls I made would be for her  Alas, I did not have any more babies after our fifth boy was born; so then the plan became saving my porcelain beauties for my future granddaughters.  (Enter future granddaughters!  But more about that in a minute.)

The first doll I made was from a mold by modern doll artist Boots Tyner, and it was called Sugar Britches. It was the size of a real newborn infant (you could put a newborn diaper and outfit on it, and they fit perfectly!), with a porcelain head and hands and a weighted cloth body.  After I made a blond one for me, I made a dark-haired one as a gift for my mother-in-law, who was as crazy about dolls as I am.  After my mother-in-law died, my husband's sisters said that I should take the Sugar Britches I'd given Mom back, in case I wanted to eventually hand it down to a granddaughter.  

This past year, I decided that our oldest son's girls (the American Girl-girls I told you about above) were mature enough to play with the porcelain babies, on a limited basis: when they were the only ones at our house, and when we could keep their rambunctious 2-year-old brother elsewhere occupied!  Since I only had two of the Sugar Britches models, I let the other two girls "adopt" a couple of other porcelain babies I'd made back in the day.

As Christmas approached, I decided that maybe it was time to pass these heirlooms on to these sweet girls who would treasure them.  Sure, they have breakable parts; and sure, they're supposed to be decorative collectibles rather than playthings.  But as my mother-in-law used to say, "A doll's purpose is to be loved."

In order to make it "fair," however, I decided that I needed four of the same doll...but where was I going to find another Sugar Britches, not to mention two of them?  Was I going to have to find a doll-making class here in VA and make them myself?   Not to worry, it was eBay to the rescue!  I found two reasonably priced dolls on that site: one with no wig and badly in need of a whole new cloth body; and the other in great shape, other than needing to have new eyelashes applied.  

I got the eBay dolls refurbished, I made all four babies matching velveteen bonnets and bought them some adorable newborn sleepers.  Once I saw them all grouped together, looking for all the world like living, breathing babies, Christmas couldn't come fast enough.  I could hardly wait to pass them on to their new "mamas."

You know when you're really excited to give a gift, knowing that it's going to be absolutely perfect, but then the receiver doesn't seem all that thrilled with it? Well...THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!  Those darling girls were beside themselves with joy.  And of course, seeing their reaction was the best Christmas gift they could ever give their Grammy, who'd been holding onto those two original dolls for years, imagining the future granddaughters who might play with them one day.  

Okay, that's it for me today.  I just love this link-up, don't you?  It makes me feel like blogging is back, baby! For more blog goodness, just because... head on over to Rosie's.

Just Because: A New(ish) Name for My Blog

I'm just tickled to be here at this new link-up from longtime blogger Rosie at A Blog for My Mom.

Thanks, Rosie, for getting this off the ground.  When I discovered it, I was reminded of what the blogosphere was like when I gingerly dipped my toes into those unknown waters almost exactly ten years ago (way back when I was about to become a first-time grandmother, to twin girls), and through this exciting new-to-me medium “met” so many wonderful people.  I’ve missed those halcyon days when there were so many blog link-up “get-togethers”!  I'm determined to join your new Just Because link-up as often as I can, now that I'm off social media and trying to get back into the swing of regular blogging.

When I set out to create my blog back in 2011, I wasn't really very tech-savvy (not that I am now, but I've improved about a thousandfold).  I decided to call my humble little site String of Pearls, but then when I tried to give it a corresponding web address, that name was already taken.  I didn't know back then that if I'd added my first name to the address, or perhaps some dashes or underscores, I might have been able to use it and the address would have made more sense.  I picked mumsie2five.blogspot.com, because it wasn't taken and it reflected my identity as a mom to five boys (who jokingly sometimes called me "Mumsie").

Well, this March my String of Pearls turns ten.  And as a little anniversary present to myself, I'm going to give it a new(ish) name.  Henceforth, it shall be known as "String o' Pearls."  

I can't believe I didn't pick this more Irish-sounding title in the first place, now that I think of it.  My husband is just about 100% Irish.  I'm more of a mutt or a melting pot: 20% Irish, about half English, with some Norwegian and other Northern European mixed in there.  But although my blood is not as green as my husband's, I absolutely adore all things Irish.  I am an incurable Hibernophile.  And now, my blog will reflect my deep and abiding love for Irish culture.

That's it for me.  Now head on over to Rosie's.  Just because.