In related news, Judge prevents Planned Parenthood from keeping Abby Johnson quiet.

Matt over at Fallible Blogma.com (love the name!) has a great project in the works called Support A Catholic Speaker Month. Bloggers participate by being assigned a speaker then making a post about them. My speaker is Mr. Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League.

Jim Sedlak is a Catholic, Pro-Life, inspirational speaker who has given hundreds of talks on three continents. A leader in the pro-life movement, he currently serves as vice president of American Life League and concentrates his efforts on fighting Planned Parenthood - the nation's largest abortion chain. A former Senior Engineer with the IBM Corporation, Jim has spent over 15 years working full time in the pro-life movement. His expertise comes from being in the streets in front of Planned Parenthood; addressing school boards, city councils, state legislators and members of Congress. He serves as an advisor to many local efforts against Planned Parenthood and belongs to Knights of Columbus Council 4034.

He will bring to your event a mixture of fact and wit, with a captivating speaking style that leaves audiences informed and motivated. His talks can best be summed up by the remark of a woman who heard Jim talk in Belfast, Northern Ireland: "This was the most inspirational talk I have heard in my life ."

Jim's talks include:

Planned Parenthood - the Problem, Not the Solution
Planned Parenthood's Health Care Hoax
The Dangers of Sex Education
Planned Parenthood Steals Souls
Parent Power - How parents can regain control of school systems
Taxpayer Funding of Planned Parenthood and How to Stop It
Planned Parenthood vs. John Paul II - a collision of cultures
Planned Parenthood vs. Pregnancy Care Centers
Matthew 10 - the Secret Weapon Against Planned Parenthood
Pro-Life and Personhood

Click here for Jim's contact info.

I love fall! It is my favorite season. Although here on the central coast of Cali, it feels more like summer. We get lots of fog and cool weather in July and August then it warms up in September and October. But now that November is here the chill is slowly moving in and anticipation for the holidays gets stronger. I am especially excited because we always spend a week in So Cal during Thanksgiving and I am sooo ready to see my family again - some of who have yet to meet John-Paul! Only 17 more days! WooHoo!

I tried that recipe for minestrone soup that my sis EL recommended. It was so tasty! Lots of veggies and flavor. Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jamies-Minestrone/Detail.aspx

Brian and I recently saw two movies with a Catholic theme. The first was Ostrov (Sold at http://www.notofthisworldicons.com). "The story begins in northern Russia during World War II. A Russian coal barge with a two-man crew is captured by a Nazi patrol boat. The Nazis force the young cowardly Russian furnace stoker, Anatolii, to shoot his captain. The Nazis blow up the barge but Anatolii is rescued by monks from a nearby monastery. Anatolii spends the rest of his life repenting in sorrow, and through this repentance becomes a God-bearing Fool-for-Christ who, with his God-inspired insights into human hearts, gives miraculous help to suffering people who come to him for aid. Nearing death Anatolii's own suffering is resolved through a miraculous manifestation of forgiveness."

It is a beautiful story and heartbreaking to watch Anatolii's sorrow over killing his captain, but he never gave up hope on God's mercy. In his humility and wretchedness, Anatolii became completely dependent on God and grew in holiness. God was then able to do marvelous wonders with the "little fool." (ie. He could read souls or knew when something bad was going to happen.) The story is in Russian but with subtitles.

Speaking of where we bought the movie, if you are looking for icons, check out Not of This World Icons.com. It is our favorite place to shop. So beautiful!

The second movie we saw was 2008's Henry Poole Is Here with Luke Wilson. It is not a religious movie but it had a surprisingly positive portrayal of the Catholic Church. Wilson plays Henry, a stand-offish loner (with a bit of mystery about him) that buys a house in his old neighborhood. His desire to be alone is thwarted by a friendly (and persistent) Catholic Hispanic woman who believes that a water stain on the side of Henry's house is actually a miraculous imprint of Jesus' face. During the course of the movie Henry must deal with his neighbors' faith, his own disbelief and anger, and his growing friendship with a single mom and her mute daughter. The movie is low-key and never preachy but there is a definite underlying message of faith and (physical/spiritual) healing. (Note: The movie is rated PG, mostly for language. Watch it when the kids are asleep.)

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack on the Henry Poole movie. There were some cool songs; however, there are two from the movie that are missing from the official soundtrack. If you get it from iTunes you'll have to download the Bob Dylan song (I didn't mind skipping that one) and the Blur (Song 2) separately. (I did download the Bur song - I hadn't heard them in years!)

Okay, Andrew is up and ready for breakfast so I need to get off the computer. I'll end with a pic of the kids from Halloween. Have a blessed weekend!

(Note: It isn't mentioned in this news segment but Abby's turning point came when she saw an ultrasound of an abortion. There was no denying what was happening to the baby.)

Slow Cooker Lentil and Ham Soup (Bobbi's note: I think I'll try this one first.)

Slow-cooker Turkey Chili

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
I added some cooked chicken and cheese to each bowl when I served it.

Peppered Beef Soup

These three aren't slow cooker, but they are good and I assume you could throw everything in the slow cooker and cook it that way.

Devilish Chorizo Chili with Hominy

Minestrone
Edith LOVES this soup. (Bobbi's note: Edith is my adorable niece.)

Potato Broccoli and Cheese Soup

www.southernliving.com has a slower cooker section that has some good recipes.

This site ( crockpot365.blogspot.com) also has some good recipes.

Enjoy!

FOR TODAY...October 12th

Outside my window... cold and gray with a storm approaching. (I'm looking forward to some rain but the tree toppling wind, not so much.)

I am thinking... about the 43 more days until I leave for So Cal to visit my family. (Familia and Disneyland, here I come!)

I am thankful for... John Paul sleeping six hours straight last night. (Insert happy dance.)

I am wearing... black knit pants, white tank, worn out black zipped sweatshirt jacket. (Don't tell Stacy and Clinton!)

I am remembering... that I need to email T and see how he's doing. (Say a prayer for him.)

I am going... to get some shopping done when Brian gets home. (Daddy needs some alone/bonding time with JP and Mama needs a breather.)

I am reading...The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold by Regina Doman ( So far I'm really enjoying it.)

I am hoping... to get ALL the laundry and ironing done. (Hey, I can dream, can't I??)

On my mind... how much smoother the day goes when I start the day with quiet prayer with Our Lord. (Well, the day is actually just as chaotic. I am just better equipped to handle it.)

Noticing that... I am in love with my iphone. It keeps me close to those I love when they are far away and I have all my info on there - from my shopping lists, to my baby feeding tracker to my digital prayer book. (That is when I can get it away from Andrew who wants to watch Thomas the Train on it.)

Pondering these words... from a priest during confession, "Make your home a piece of heaven on earth." (Touche.)

From the kitchen... scrambled eggs, wheat toast and fruit. (Followed by a candy kiss?)

Around the house... autumn decor. (I love fall!)

One of my favorite things... these quiet mornings with Bella at school and the boys still snug in their beds. (But enough of this, back to the laundry.)

From my picture journal...This picture is a month old now but it is one of my favorites of John Paul and his big eyes.

When you are done there, head over to Fr. Leo's Grace Before Meals.com.