Frumpy Black Bear

With the temperatures the next few days being highs in the upper 30's or lower 40's, I've got this chill in my bones that I can't shake. Trust me, I've tried, with my teeth chattering all the way. And all of you up north, go ahead and laugh. I used to laugh myself silly at those wimpy southerners while enduring sub-zero temps even, but no more. I am that thin-blooded southerner now.

And it shows.

I have been walking around our house wearing DH's black fleece pullover all day, everyday. Needless to say, the effect is less than flattering. I feel like a big black mama bear. But I am so very warm.

Whenever DH threatens to move me back north, I threaten to buy myself 5 more of these monstrous articles of clothing, all colors of the rainbow! A girl has to have some variety in her wardrobe, after all.

:)

And so, here is the black bear roaming the house these days:


















And here are her oh-so-cute paws, purchased to fulfill the need of color and to foster the always-enduring hope of Spring and warmer days ahead:

















Stay warm, y'all!

Thursday Night Fright

This past Thursday, I went to adoration at our local church, fully prepared to come away with my jaw unclenched, my mind cleared, and my step lighter from being able to spend some quality one-on-one time with "He-who-knows-me-best".....

But instead I came out with my head spinning, my hands shaking, my stomach jumping, and feeling anything but peaceful.

Here's what went down.

I entered the church, blessed myself, signed in, and proceeded to a pew somewhat in front and to the left of the altar. As I approached the pew, a short, guttural sound came forth from a man towards the back of the church. Automatically reacting and glancing behind me, I noticed a man about 30 years old, give or take, lounging on one of the back pews. Instantly on my guard, I knelt and prayed.

The next 20 minutes were spent enduring more guttural noises (we're talking really really deep throated noises...) laughing and muttering (with some cursing involved). I was scared to death, but knew I shouldn't be, since I was with my Lord. And, luckily, there were at least 10 other people in the church as well. I figured (and I was right, I found out later on) that this young man was probably just poor and homeless, battling some mental deficiency, and unable to afford the medication he needed. Either that, or he was possessed. Which seemed unlikely... wouldn't he be flipping out, to be in Christ's actual Presence? But the more I tried to reason with myself, and shake my growing fear, the harder it became for me to pray. It got to the point where if this man didn't make a noise for a few seconds, I started to wonder where he was, if he was coming up behind me or something... crazy, huh?

And so I left, my hand shaking so badly, I could barely "sign out" at the door. And as I got into my car, a police cruiser pulled in, undoubtedly to remove the man causing the disturbance inside.

Pondering my decision to leave, I decided I acted rightly. I have a little (very little, I might add) experience working with mentally challenged adults. Each adult I worked with had a file a mile long, and each situation had to be handled so very very carefully, because there were certain "triggers" (and they were all different) for each individual. And so, who knows if the color I was wearing could set someone off, the color of my coat, or my shoes... or maybe the look on my face! When dressing for work, and dealing with the patients, I had to be super careful. And the people I was working with were being treated! Not knowing what this man's case history was, made it a dangerous situation.

I was angry, though. Angry that my time with my Lord had been cut short. I may or may not have aimed a frusterated, "Well, I tried! You have to give me credit for that!" to His most awesome Presence as I knelt and bowed humbly before taking my leave.

:)

And, of course, He is faithful.

While I may not have felt an immediate effect upon my return home, the next day found me much more at peace, much more focused and centered.

I hope and pray that that young man (not a stranger to the parishioners there, I found out later on) can find the help and peace he needs as well.

E-mail Giggles

Got this one from a friend yesterday and just had to share it!

Not sure who deserves credit for this but it is
a bundle of laughs.


IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN

If you give a Mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan dinner for tonight.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She will look for her cookbook (101 Things to Make With a Pound of Hamburger).
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring.
Her four year old will answer it and hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.
And chances are......
If she has a cup of coffee......
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

:)

Snapshot

Playing along with Holy Mama this morning...


Reading: My Magnificat, and about to start North and South... it's a bookclub thing.

Music in my Head: Signing Time's Turtle Rock... and it won't. go. away.

Drinking: coffee, Highlander Grog, to be exact.

Wishing: the temperature would get warmer, or that we could fast-forward to April.

Considering: moving to Miami (see above)

Feeling: cold and grey...

Goals: smile a lot today, no matter what. There are a billion reasons for me to offer up my day, might as well make it count!

To do list: schooling, laundry, meals, ballet for girls

Hours spent in bathtub last night: 40 minute shower

Things accomplished: dinner in crockpot, breakfast served, half of schooling done. oh, and I'm dressed...

Hoping: that my boys don't fight like they did yesterday, the house doesn't burn down (due to electrical outlets exploding this morning.....lovely, eh?), and that this arrives today.


How is everyone else doing today? Care to share your own snapshot?

What Kind of Ice Cream Are You?

You Are Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

You are kind, popular, and generous.You tend to be successful at anything you try.A social butterfly, you are great at entertaining a crowd. You are most compatible with strawberry ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

So, who is Strawberry ice cream?

;)

Proof that you have the coolest dentist on earth...

Yes, those toothbrushes are suction-cupped to the mirror. Must be a new "drip-dry" system?

Just beware when you try to wash your face... that's hard plastic going into your eye!

Oh, yes, and don't forget to do a grab and stash before guests arrive. (but keep 'em guessing about where all those perfectly circular marks on your mirror came from)

:)

Come join us...

Come join the ranks of Waltzing Matilda and Margaret as we do our dishes together! Both ladies (and a host of others) have posted photos of their sink area so we can all see what they see all day long.

Unfortunately, there is no window through which I gaze as I scrub away. If there were, I'd be looking into the main bathroom. So, I guess it's not so unfortunate after all! LOL

Here is my sink:




















But when I turn to the right, I see this:





















And if I turn completely around with my back to the sink, I see this:




















So, there are some pretty views surrounding me, although not right in front of me. Especially since that table is usually filled with some pretty darn cute kids!

:)

For a Dear Blogging Friend

Who has just lost her precious baby to a miscarriage.

And for everyone else who has experienced this loss.

Here is a poem I came across when going through my own grieving process 3 years ago:


Do you know yet,
Mother mine,
Why I came and why I left?

I came to fill you with joy,
I left to fill you with emptiness
Which only our Jesus can fill.

Where you are,
Mother mine,
Grief opens you to seek Him.

Where I am,
There is only joy.
We do not have to seek Him.

And He has prepared a place for you,
Mother mine.
Seek Him.
And do not be afraid.

-C. deVet

When it's raining, everyone's a Proddy

The local Bible Church (that's bah-bul for all you non-Texans out there) has an awesome thing. Along with daily fellowship every hour on the hour, and workshops for everyone from stay-at-home moms to emotionally distraught cats*, they have a huge configuration of play tubes for kids. Think McDonald's playspace without the swearing and bullies. And best of all?

It's free.

After our Math lesson, I packed up our water bottles and snacks and headed on over in order to give my kids some much-needed sweating time. The boys especially have been feeling the effect of being cooped up for days and days and days and days and days and days... And they just needed to run and climb and get a work out.

And that's just what we did.

I have to say, I can be a cold prickly when going into these situations. Especially when I'm a Catholic going to a Protestant church... strike one. And I really have to remember that not everyone is trying to convert, or "save" me. That just because they smile at me, there will be no whipping out tracts and shoving them in my face. Also, I have another strike against me. I'm bringing rather large-ish size boys to this pre-schooler haven, at a time when most other large-ish size boys are tucked safely away at school.

And so, I gave strict instructions to the boys that they are to make sure all children are safe and not bowl anyone over, and for heaven sake's please don't make anyone cry!

Well, I couldn't have been more surprised at how literally they took me.

Not ten minutes in, and I see that the boys have made a "friend". Little Luke couldn't have been any more than 3 or 4 years old. Yet here are my two monstrous 7 & 9 year olds, calling his name, leading him up and down the biggest slide, and retrieving his stuffed animals when he misplaced them. Then, I noticed the boys chatting with a mom who had lost one of her baby son's moccasins up in the tubes, whereupon they searched and found it for her.

Meanwhile, DD #1 was put upon by me to lead DD #3 up to the smaller slide and help her down numerous times. Not to say that I didn't get my own share of a work out...since DD #3 wasn't quite big enough to clamber up the huge "steps", that was my job. But DD #1 was so patient and proud of how well she was playing the role of "big sister" ( a job she usually shuns). And DD #3 was loving every minute of it.

The climax came at the end, when I was stationed outside the tube room, feeding the little girls a snack, and I happen to look up and see my darling sons come tumbling out of the big slide, a little girl on top of them. They landed on their heads and flipped over. I ran in to make sure they were okay, and ascertained that it hadn't been their fault. (whew) At the same time, I realized that a little guy way up near the top of the tubes was bawling, and a woman who was about 7 months pregnant (his mom) was about to take off her shoes and scale the thing to go rescue him. I offered the service of my boys, who were more than happy to comply. All I had to say was, "There is a little kid up there crying somewhere... hear him? Now, go find him and bring him back down!"

And they were off.

How gentle they were with him as they led him down through the maze of tubes and slides. And how proud they were when they delivered him safely to his mom.


I'm pretty proud of them, too.



*This part was meant for humorous purposes only. If there is anything these Bible churches do right, it's fellowship and community. I have never met such genuinely friendly people in my life. And everyone knows that Catholics are terrible about this aspect of their Faith. So, it's also a knock against me and all other Catholics out there.*

'Tis the Season... (*updated!*)

... for my annual plug of my sister-in-law's Catholic Mother Magazine.


It's a wonderful little publication, at a very reasonable price. The mothers, fathers and priests who volunteer their articles are well worth reading.

Just take a look.

And, oh, why yes, that is my article featured this month...

;)


*Just so I am clear... I in no way consider myself a professional writer, and that is why I can plug myself with much humor. I honestly feel that this publication is worth the small subscription fee (which is why we let my Father-in-law send it to us for free??) and that the many other writers who contribute are really worth reading...*

Divine Justice

Not one full day after I left this comment for our dear friend Margaret:

Beautiful pictures! (she had some great pictures of the her children in the snow near her house)
And I have to say that after my 12 days of being snowed in at my parent's home in Colorado, you can KEEP the snow!
This Texas chic has had her fill.
Now, when will Spring get here?
;)


We woke up this morning to our own winter wonderland.

It appears the joke's on me.

:)

Cabin Fever?

The kids got a really great toy this Christmas. If you care to see it in action, click the link below the pictures. It's very very cool, and can be made into anything by even the youngest nut in the house.

Especially if you have been holed up in your house for the past 5 days.

Yessir, we have become experts in the field of indoor sporting events.

Saturday evening, we moved all of the couches against the walls of our second living area (20' x 24') and had a rousing game of indoor soccer. The boys beat the girls and I, if you must know...

And since the room was already set up, we followed it up with our specialty, the glow-stick throwing marathon. We turn off all the lights, fire up the glow sticks, and toss them around. These things are so versatile, from monkey-in-the-middle, to frisbee, to the ever popular "stick glow sticks on the ceiling fan and turn it on" to just spinning them to see all the cool colors.

And since DS #2 received a small football for Christmas, a few games of tackle have been indulged in. A special privilege for the boys, since tackling is usually reserved for outside play.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And no, of course we are not trying our darndest to tire our children out for bedtime... why ever do you ask?

:)

New Link!

After much cajoling, pleading, and threats, our dear friend Matilda (formerly known as C.M.W. or, "the commenter") has started her own blog!

Do check it out and leave some nice comment, and link to her on your own blog!

:)

Work Zone Ahead

We are totally re-vamping our Math curriculum.

It's like there's a huge "Construction Zone" sign at our homeschool table right now...

proceed with caution, coffee, and chocolate

Resolutions

Normally, I don't like to post my personal resolutions. Sometimes I feel like people will think I'm try to "one up" them, or something. But I have read a few blogs with resolutions and have actually been inspired by them. It's nice to know that others struggle with some of the same things I do.

Oh. And instead of "I resolve", I will be starting each sentence with, "I hope to".

Just trying to keep it real.


1. I hope to improve my prayer life by reading my Magnificat at least twice a day, and getting to adoration once a week. In doing this, I hope to be able to better impart the Faith to my children, since (hopefully) I will be more in tune with the Divine.

2. I hope to exercise and keep in shape. I have been blessed with a fairly quick metabolism, but I am not physically fit. I like the way it feels to eat well and be active. And so, I have re-joined my soccer team, even though we have moved up a division, and it will be much more challenging. (and maybe the "fun" factor will suffer)

3. Along the same lines, I want to improve our family diet. I can only do this slowly, changing one or two things a week. But I have noticed a tendency in my kids to prefer junk food (surprise surprise) even though they love fruits and vegetables. I have also noticed my girls looking a tad bit pudgier after the holidays* and want to develop good habits in them now, so they don't develop weight issues later on.

4. I have decided to "take care" of some personal issues I have. Stuff I've been trying deal with from my past and work through on my own. I can only go so far, and need someone else to guide me the rest of the way. I know that Christ is the ultimate healer, and this has been, and will continue to be, a huge comfort to me.


In sticking to these, I hope to come a bit closer to the person, wife, and mother, that God wants me to be. I get the sense that changes are on the horizon, and want to be making significant progress on this path God has chosen for me.


*on that note, does anyone else have Hersheys chocolate bars leftover from Christmas baking, calling to them from their pantry?

Sigh. Me too.

(munch munch)*

Overheard...

...on our date night that was not last night ...

As we sit in the parking lot of a certain drugstore:

DH: swallowing some antacid stuff following a spicy Mexican dinner and two margaritas drinks... Don't you say a word.

Me: innocent and wide eyed... I didn't say anything!

DH: Not a word.

Me: Can I blog about it?

Catholic Devotions Meme

I've been memed by Michelle!

1. Favorite devotion or prayer to Jesus?
I love the Morning Offering, and the short prayer, "Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me!"

2. Favorite Marian devotion or prayer?
The "Hail Mary" is an automatic prayer for me if I'm distressed or in imminent danger. I also love the "Memorare". I wish I could be regular in my devotion to the Rosary... something to work on this year.

3. Do you wear a scapular or medal?
I used to. I stopped because I felt hypocritical, since the devotion to the brown scapular includes a devotion to the daily rosary, which... see #2.

4. Do you have holy water in your home?
Yes.

5. Do you ‘offer up’ your sufferings?
I try to. Usually it's the sort of thing I offer up before or after the fact. It's funny how God gives you difficult days when you tell someone that you'll be offering up your day for them... certainly helps me to keep my focus.

6. Do you observe First Fridays and First Saturdays?
No, unfortunately.

7. Do you go to Eucharistic Adoration?
DH and I have tried to go every week, separately. I really really love this time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. As the holidays approached, we stopped going. But I am firm in re-committing myself to this devotion.

8. Are you a Saturday evening Mass person or Sunday morning Mass person?
We go on Sunday mornings.

9. Do you say prayers at mealtime?
Yes.

10. Favorite Saint(s)?
Saint Gemma Galgani, Saint Nino, Saint Adelaide, Saint Margaret Clitherow

11. Can you recite the Apostles Creed by heart?
Yes.

12. Do you usually say short prayers (aspirations) during the course of the day?
Does, "Lord have mercy!" count when dealing with my children?

13. Where is your favorite place to pray?
In the morning, with my cup of coffee and Magnificat; in the afternoon in the sun with my Magnificat, and in bed with my Magnificat at night before falling asleep... (love that Magnificat!)

14. Bonus Question: When you pass by an automobile accident or other serious mishap, do you say a quick prayer for the folks involved?
I do, but my children just want to see what happened... we're working on this one.

Let's see, I tag Cubeland Mystic, if he is so inclined; and Suzanne Di Silvestri, and Michelle, and Studeo. (unless they've already done this one?) And my sisters... Portia, Sephora and Alvy.

And anyone else that wants to.

:)

Home at Last!

To Quote Holy Mama,

Praise God in Heaven, we. are. home.

And what a trip we had! You all know how completely awesome it was up in Colorado, amongst the snow and family.

No. I'm talking about the actual drive home.

Oh yes, we have some stories.


1. DD #1 christened the trip with the contents of her breakfast exactly 45 minutes in. At the gas station, I was seriously considering turning around and trying again the next day...

2. After we had braved the pass, and stopped for a much-needed bathroom break, we found out that the route we had hoped to take was now opened. Great news! Except that we were soon to find out that traffic on that road had come to a complete halt due to cows. As in, a large herd of them walking down the middle of the highway. Luckily, we were only delayed about 15 minutes.

3. After that delay, DH must have been just aching inside with losing those precious minutes... all of a sudden, as we zoomed along, he said, "whoops!" and eased off the accelerator... all I saw was the needle as it passed the number "95" on it's way down.

4. Not entirely unrelated, I heard DH ask DS #1 (who was sitting in the front seat at the time) to use his binoculars to see if he could spot any cops.

5. Which didn't work, by the way, as we left Memphis, TX... but all he gave us was a warning.

6. New vocab? DD#2 was adamant about finding "oatmeal drills" as we drove through west Texas.... aka Oil Drills.

7. We waited an extra 30 minutes for a bathroom break, so we could take one in the Dairy Queen in Childress, TX. DH and I were craving some yummy blizzards, and we thought the kids would appreciate a treat. You guessed it, no ice cream, they were all out. Almost an oxymoron, eh?

8. Also, at said DQ, I got the pleasure of sliding on my back, on the oh-so-clean bathroom floor, under a stall, in order to rescue DD #1 from the bathroom stall she had locked herself into. It was the only stall available, and there was a lady waiting. I felt very dignified. Really.

9. Last stop, Wichita Falls, TX...what could go wrong, really? How about DD #3 eating something off the ground at the gas station that looked like the m&m's her Mama had given her, but turned out to be who-knows-what? I really have no idea what it was, but when I tasted a morsel of it that she had spit out of her mouth, it was the most awful tasting medicine, anti-freeze, whatever I had ever tasted. Luckily, she spit it all out, and there have been no side-effects...

Notice there are a lot of "luckily's". I firmly believe that "luck" had nothing to do with it. We were praying, my parents were praying "please lord, let them get home, PLEASE!" (just kidding mom... right?) and my friends were praying, too.

Thanks all!