My Domestic Church: Our Jessee Tree in Pictures

Favorite Quotes

"It is right to begin with the obligations of home, and, while these are overlooked and neglected, no other duties can
possibly be substituted for them." - Charles Dickens

"A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but a foolish
man's heart directs him toward the left." -- Ecclesiastes 10:2

"I believe it to be a great mistake to present Christianity as something charming and popular with no offense in it....We
cannot blink at the fact that gentle Jesus meek and mild was so stiff in his opinions and so inflammatory in his language
that he was thrown out of church, stoned, hunted from place to place, and finally gibbeted as a firebrand and a public danger. Whatever his peace was, it was not the peace of an amiable indifference."--Dorothy Sayers

"Thirteenth Rule. To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. "St. Ignatius Loyola.

"There are not over a 100 people in the U.S. that hate the Catholic Church, there are millions however, who hate what
they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church -- which is, of course, quite a different thing." -- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

"Like the sun rising over the mountans of the Lord is the beauty of a good wife in a well-kept house."--Sirach 26:21

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. "C.S. Lewis

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from
me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for [a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself." Ez 33:7-9

"Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their parentage." Proverbs 17:6

"Behold, sons are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3

"Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him." Soujourner Truth

"I am going on a diet. From this day forward, I pledge there will be no pork chop too succulent! No donut too tasty! No
pizza too laden with delicious toppings to prevent me from reaching my scientifically-determined ideal weight! As God as my witness, I'll always be hungry again!"Homer Simpson

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt

"And today I go down to the secular equivalent of hell, the secretary of state's office" Jane at Vox Lauri Blog

"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” - William G. McAdoo

"Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct." PP1792 Catechism Catholic Church.

My Favorite quotes on Quotiki.

Favorite Cheers and Jeers!

"I've also been reading this blog for some time and just noticed I hadn't added you to my favorite blogs. Done!" The Mighty Barrister 5/21/04

"I could certainly continue to go back and forth (and believe me, I would love to!!!!!), but that would be answering a fool according to his folly." Amy-anti-Catholic blogger at Blessed Motherhood 7/07/07!

"You are tenacious. I love a woman who won't give up." William Luse 6/1/04

"Kudos also to Elena, who proved that she can take it as well as she can dish it." TSO 6/4/04

"the wonderful Elena" Nathan Nelson 8/1/04

"Elena is is so many shades of stupid they don't make a Crayola box big enough to begin coloring her" Anonymous TWA blog 2/05

"Well, Elena cuts to the chase. Says it like it is and doesn't mince her words." Alexa of Domestic Excellence

"Elena, a woman I have little in common with but have come to be fond of" Cecily of and I Wasted all that Birth Control 9/15/05

"Your witness is horrendous" JCecil of Liberal Catholic News

"Truth, love, charity, and, oh yeah, sensitivity, decorum, good taste and a dollop of wit. That's more like it. Keep rockin'!" PMC 12/05

"Where's Elena? We need Elena." Kathryn the Daring Young Mom 2/17/06

"Elena, I quake at the sound of your name" John B-Catholic Packer Fan 8-12-04

"I like your writing and your spunk." Todd Flowerday, Catholic Sensibility 11-8-04

"I have no problem with Elena. I find her answers to be quite lucid, witty, and insightful." David B commenting on In Today's News 10/29/05

"She's not cranky, she just senses happiness and snuffs it out." Gabe, age 9, after being scolded for not being ready for swim practice. 12/04

"Elena of My Domestic Church get’s my nomination for living a life of loveliness that I could only ever dream of. She’s an awesome wife and mother, a deeply committed Catholic, a proponent of pro-life issues, a hands on make-and-bake-and-cut-and-stick-musical-momma, a prayerful, compassionate, thoughtful and passionate woman who endeavours to live a christocentric life in her own euphonious way. Yes, I am proud to know her as a blog buddy and sharing in her trials and her triumphs via reading her blog over the last few years has impacted me more than she could know… and always for the better." Deb from Ukok's Place 08/2007

"i have a feeling elena never moves on from anything. other than the couch to the fridge." 08/2007 commenter on the now defunct Rock Star Mommy Blog.

" I think you're a shrew." Anne Basso 7/08

"Even with our differences, I will say one thing--she's smart. I may not always agree with what she says, but she doesn't spout unsupported garbage as fact." Ruthjoec aka JAnn from AOL Catholic message boards and This That and the Other Thing Blog

"I was wrong. You were right. God bless you" T from LO2W blog 3/6/2008

"As a Catholic Mother myself, I enjoy reading My Domestic Church. It's one of the many blogs that I follow and read regularly. It's refreshing to read comments from a mother that shares your views. So much of what Elena has me nodding my head in agreement. I'm sure that any Catholic-Mother will enjoy reading Elena's blog." SAMinIL on Blog Catalog 9/09.

"Because of my interest in Benedictine spirituality and monasticism, began reading about the Domestic Church. This site is an excellent resource. Like any good family it is alive with energy and the Holy Spirit." John on Blog Catalog 12/08

"I watched your talk on YouTube and thought you and your husband did a wonderful job. Very natural, not stilted. Your account of your child, Raphael's, life and death were extremely touching and profound." Eileen via e-mail 02/21/2010

"Elena, You completely 'foul up' the catechism. I repeat you are a nice lady, but your lack of education and knowledge, as your distorted answers show," Jack from Liberal Catholic Sports Music 1/9/2009

"You can read about: her family (which I really enjoy) Her birth stories (which help me with my own daughter since I never went through the things she is struggling with), the pictures (which are precious and bring a smile to my face ), sometimes a good saint story (still like that) and then most the rest- which I often skip often because she is pretty mean spirited" Janette B, blogger, ex-Catholic, Obama supporter 07/22/2010 comments her blog.

"you repeatedly impress me. I know we have very different political views that show up in our comments to each other at times, but I have never once felt anything but generosity from you toward who I am." JB via e-mail 7/23/2010

"The post I really love, though is 28 Things I Learned About Marriage in 28 Years at My Domestic Church. In fact, it's so good I plan to show it on the first day of class for my Family and Society course this." Sister Edith at Monastic Musings

"When Elena turns the other cheek, it's so she can whip around the other side with full force!" Mr. Pete (My Domestic
Husband!)

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Our Jessee Tree in Pictures

A simple branch, spray painted.

An old coffee or paint can.

Sink a plastic or metal tube in your container and fix it in with a little quick setting cement.

Decorate with tinsel

Every day hang a Jessee Tree ornament that you create!
Jesse tree ornaments
Jessee tree symbols downloadable.
From Domestic Church Fridge Art - these are the ones I use!

Make ornaments and hang once a day!

Please browse my eBay items!
Visit my new Amazon Store!

Ultimate Homeschool Expo!

Cindy Rushton, has just finished her Ultimate Homeschool Expo audio set. I have been listening to several workshops and I think homeschool moms and dads will find them very helpful. This convention NEVER ends. You can listen to it at your convenience. You can listen again and again and again. It is set up so that you can listen on your computer or you can download these workshops to your Mp3 player and carry them along with you wherever you go. Oh! You can even burn them to a CD. Lots of useful information. I give it my highest recommendation Get the details here!

My Domestic Church Videos