My idol weighs in on the latest at Hogwarts

No big secret, I'd start an Elizabeth Lev Fan club if I could. Her article about Dumbledore's sexuality is one of the best I've read. She at one point compares Dante to Rowling. Brilliant! If you do not subscribe to Zenit, it is worth it just for Her writing.

Eternal Rest Grant unto Them O, Lord...

..And let perpetual light shine upon them.

It is the eve of All Souls day, which has become one of my favorite feasts recently. This year, my husband lost his grandma. I loved Sophie, she made me laugh, she had a quick wit,even if she forgot my kids names. She was 93, and lived a hard, but good life. When she was dying, her daughter, my mother in law, decided it was silly to call a priest for final sacraments, after all, she was a good person, and God is merciful. Both are true, but it broke my heart and made me quite mad that she did not receive the final sacraments. This month especially we are praying for her, hoping she can receive all the graces of our prayers.

Many people presume that heaven is a sure thing, as soon as you die. I was not raised knowing about purgatory, I was even told it did not exist. Woe to all those who have not learned otherwise. It is vital to pray for the dead. Why? Well, they can pray for us in return, and Lord knows, I need all the prayers I can get. A priest reminded me to ask the souls in Purgatory that had the same defects I have to pray for me, and I will pray for them. Someday, I hope to see those souls and thank them. But there are greater reasons, like getting the souls of those we love. The more the merrier, right? What joy there will be the day I see all of my relatives and friends who have gone before me. Our purpose in life is to get people to heaven, and praying for the Holy Souls is part of that. In fact, it is easier than praying for the souls still on earth. The Souls in purgatory are going to go to heaven, after their time of purification, souls on earth, still can end up not making it.

In this month of the Holy Souls, remember them, have your children pray for them, visit a cemetery between November 1-8, for an indulgence. There are only benefits to praying for them, they are helpless on their own, they need us. I also recommend the book Father Philip tells a Ghost Story to help teach children about the souls in purgatory. I wish I had learned more sooner, but it is never too late.

The Candy Tally...

21 Pounds. That's right, my 3 kids collected 21 pounds of candy. Up 8 pounds from last year, but only up 6 from the previous year. We trick or treated for 1.5 hours, and if we were not dragging a 3 year old Hungarian Horntail with us, we would have been done much sooner, but his little wings are slow. My kids will not ever see about 20 of the pounds of candy, but they really have fun collecting the goods. We send the rest to work with my husband, and to soldiers in Iraq, its good to have family in the Army to eat the sugar for us. How did your family do?

More things that get me in trouble with my Homeschool group

I love Halloween. There, I've said it. It's true. Its a big deal in my home. I love decorating, I love reading scary stories in the dark, I love baking the cookies, and let's not forget the best part, taking 50% of the good candy from my kids! I'm a pagan in some people's books because of this.

It does get me banned from some family's homes, and plenty of rude comments made, but, I'm half Irish, this is like the second biggest holiday we have. I do not attend the "alternative" All-Saints party, my kids like to play saints year round, St. George is always battling the dragon in our home. I've never thought it was evil to celebrate Halloween. I know where my heart was, and my kids are not confused. I respect my many friends who are protecting their children, that is their job as parents. I appreciate that they have concerns about the evil in the world. I just see it differently. I'm not the only one, either, Lint Hatcher has set up an appreciation of Halloween website for Christians, specifically Catholics. Take a look, I'm off to make my kids listen to me read Poe, again while we listen to Night on Bald Mountain.

Check out my 1st Post at Love2Learn Movies

It should look a bit familiar. I hope to post many more reviews in the near future.

Ebert reviews Bella

Good review, and funny, too. 3 Stars, to boot! Have you seen Bella? See it again if you have, some movies are worth a second watch.

People and their dogs

I'm just disturbed. Maybe its because I'm not a huge fan of dogs, maybe its because I think people should have children instead of treating their dogs like them, you can decide.

5 days until Bella

Just a reminder, Bella comes out Friday. It is playing in many cities, please make an effort to see it at the theatre the weekend it comes out. Opening weekend numbers are very important to the success of this film. It's PG-13, so leave the little ones at home, but bring the tissue, I needed a bunch when I saw it. If you've seen it, bring a friend who has not. Make it a date. Just see Bella, I promise it is not time wasted.

My Favorite Movie

Love2learn has started a movie Blog! This makes me very happy. In my very early days of homeschooling I discovered Love2learn, and it is my absolute favorite resource for all things Catholic, family and Homeschooling. The new addition of the movie site is very timely, we started doing Netflix a couple months ago and have been trying to find great films for the family, and sometimes just for the grown-ups.

I noticed that they have not yet reviewed my favorite film, though. This time of year, Hitchcock film air frequently on the movie channels, but one is almost always over looked, I Confess. This 1953 film is one of the most Catholic movies Hitchcock ever made. Hitchcock was a devote Catholic, and this movie makes it no secret. I was given I Confess as a gift a few years ago, and have made just about every person I know watch it. So far, every one has loved it. Why? Because it is classic Hitchcock, full of suspense, mystery and drama. It is also a quick favorite among my friends because of the role the sacrament of Confession plays and the implications the seal of it holds.

Shot in Montreal, I, Confess is stunningly beautiful. The acting is not the best in a Hitchcock film, but the roles are convincing enough. The plot is simple, a man commits murder, confesses and frames the priest he confessed to. Simple, but all of the situations that surround the murder, the murder and the priest are what make it so good. I often wonder if Hitchcock was reading Father Brown stories while making this film, there are a few subtle resemblances. This is a great movie for teens, there are a few mature situations, but due to it being 1953, they are alluded to rather than explicit. I love this movie on cold fall nights with a nice hot cup of cider. Cuddle up next to your husband or wife and enjoy the plot twists and turns, and the simple joy of a really good movie.

More on Catholic Drinking

Of I've read many different articles about wine and beer. Truth be told, I really enjoy both. For many years, I swore off both, out of a misconceived notion of piety, but that changed as I matured. I really enjoy finding budget friendly wines and beers that have unique tastes. I frequently give wine as a gift, usually paired with a fine chocolate, another food favorite. A friend sent me info on a Catholic wine company today, BOGO wines. They support Priests for life and Adult Stem cell research, and it looks like they are budget friendly. With Christmas not that far off, I will be giving more wine, and feel good about doing it, not only can we celebrate and relax, but support pro-life groups as well. I hope everyone will enjoy!