And Finally I Feel Like I Accomplished Something

today, it's on the record, i finally feel like i accomplished something this week. you see, about a week ago i got sick of seeing the crusts from my son and youngest daughter's sandwiches wasted every day. so, i got the idea to take them off before i serve the sandwich, save them all in a baggy and at the end of the week...(drumroll please)...make croutons. yep, i was pretty impressed with the idea myself. you see, my husband has been asking me to make him croutons for quite some time now because he is a.) allergic to onions and b.) has been suffering from 'purdy bad reflux. pretty much every brand of croutons under the sun involve some sort of onion something or other that makes him horribly sick. i was so ecstatic that for once...there was something that needed done...and i figured out a totally macgyver solution...and saved a few slices of perfectly good, useable for something else bread in the process. and in case you wondered, macgyver has solved all of these predicaments, but i didn't see croutons anywhere on the list. thank you Holy Spirit for helping me "one up" macgyver. but, the productivity doesn't stop there my inter-friends (i could call you interpeeps, but i don't think i'm quite that "down"). i took the leftovers from a roast, chopped it up, added the leftover gravy from said roast (which by the way was all made in the crock pot...my favorite way to make the bestest gravy) and froze it for a yummy quick meal served over mashed potatoes...or noodles...or rice...or toast. wow, the endless possibilities. then, oh then, i took the leftovers from a chicken, diced them up, added brown sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and ketchup and viola...chicken bbq. i was able to freeze two quart size bags of this for other quick dinners. now the only things i have left to tackle are the strawberry muffins (or buppins as my two year old calls them) and the chicken broccoli dish to freeze for later. if it rains tomorrow morning they should get done...if it's not raining, the yard sales will beckon and i'm throwing all caution...and broccoli to the wind.

Just a Tiny Side Note

i was asked yesterday if i would be interested in singing for weddings at our parish. this is something i have been wondering and praying about for quite a while now but when it comes to asking people about things like this...my self consciousness kicks in and i never do it. i love to sing at church and this just gives me another opportunity. tonight i am going to a rehearsal to sing for a first mass of a friend of ours who will be ordained a priest at the beginning of june. thank you Lord for the gift of music and the opportunity to serve you. :)

My Little Girl...

...got her first big haircut...

...and her first shiner...
...all in the same day! :) she's actually been surprisingly rather self-conscious about the black eye. (it actually looks worse in person than it does in the picture, i think the light of the kitchen window was kind.) she keeps looking at it and keeping me informed of its progress like, "it's traveling up the side of my eye now...i think it will be all around it by morning." she's asked if she could use some of my make up a few times. i just keep reminding her how beautiful she looks no matter what. i've also been telling her how many black eyes i got from playing baseball (that's how she got it, a hardball to the cheek) and how cool it makes her look. i don't think she buys the latter half of that. :)

The Feast of Corpus Christi

today we celebrate the central mystery of our faith, the feast of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. what a beautiful day we have here in the east to celebrate such a beautiful feast. last night a parish in our area had the first latin mass that has been said in the city for a quite a number of years. i was thinking of attending but did not since i was cantoring at mass in our parish this morning. but, after the homily i was glad that i had attended mass at our regular parish. it was just what i needed to hear. our priest was talking about the giant sequoia trees. at first i must admit that i thought, ok, where exactly is this going? but he was talking about how their roots go out instead of down and that without the other trees around them and their roots that intertwine with each other, these giant trees would fall over. that is how we are called to be as the Church. supporting each other and holding each other up. and this is important. but, how even more important is it that we allow ourselves to first be fed by and held up by Christ, in the Holy Eucharist. i paraphrase of course, but this is the part that i needed to hear, so this is what i took. you see, i've been feeling lonely for quite some time now. i've been rather disillusioned, unsatisfied and downright shocked and hurt by situations, people, happenings. the Lord it seems as of late has been a great people mover in my life. it's not that tons of people who are close to me have died lately or something, it's just that nothing is the same as it was last year at this time. nothing is the same as it was six months ago and nothing is the same as it was three months ago. you get the picture. i really rely upon people much more than i should. this is something i have been working on for over two years and i'm starting to feel that this might be a rut i revisit until the day i die. it's one that i have thought that i have conquered time and time again, only to find myself back there. things that people say and do can...and do affect my entire day, week...heck, if we're being honest...my month. it's ridiculous. right now there is one particular area where this has been oh so difficult. as if i haven't bared enough of my soul to the general populous...i'd like to keep this one under wraps. anywho, there's my cross...my convoluted meditation for the day. not at all scholarly or deep, but where i am.

A Beautiful Day...

...for a parade! today we went to the memorial day parade here in our new little "home town" and the kids had a super good time. the husband and i were thinking on the way there that the kids have never actually been, real live, in person, to a parade. sure, they love the macy's parade every year on tv but watching the television in your slippers while eating cinnamon rolls and the turkey bakes in the oven just isn't quite the same as an "actual" feel it, touch it, hear it parade. we thought they would enjoy it, and they did not disappoint. they were especially happy about all the candy they were able to catch. not that i want to live in new orleans ever again but it made me think of what they would be like at a mardi gras parade. anyway, it was a super afternoon spent as a family in this new little mayberry that we are loving more and more every day. God is so good and He has brought us to this place that we never thought would be. He has brought us back to what looks, sounds and smells (ahhh, farm land) so much like what dh and i grew up in. it is peaceful, it is relaxing and it is allowing us to be a family. thank you Lord! i was thinking about this last night at dusk as i drove along a country back road that rolled through farm land laden with cows, horses, sheep and farmers on their tractors with their big spotlights on trying to finish up the day's plowing...and i started to bawl. i was so happy about fields and cattle and farms and everything. but i'll spare you the rest of the boring details. let's just say...i'm thankful...for everything. now, i'm off to find the aloe, cause my arms are about as red as the first trucks we saw in the parade today. :)

We Bring You This Informational Bulletin

to announce that we got a new mattress delivered tonight. oh yes. good bye to those mornings of tingling extremities and locked backs that we've become so accustomed to. good bye to having to actually "roll out of bed"...and crawl across the floor. our cars may still be in the 90's but by the grace of God, our mattress is in this decade. thank you for your years of faithful service 1981 model but i must bid you farewell for this blissful, supportive dreamland. good night! :)

Visit to the Cathedral

today our homeschool group took a trip to St. Patricks Cathedral. we received a wonderful tour of the cathedral and were able to attend noon mass (ok, the others in the group were. i spent mass out in the vestibule with a loudly talkative 2 year old...who was complaining about being in vestibule instead of church...but yelled while we were in the church...and complained when we were in the vestibule...you get the picture). anyway, the cathedral has undergone major restorations in the past few years and it is just beautiful.

the kids really liked looking at all the stained glass windows and talking about the story behind each.we finished off the trip with a picnic lunch on city island looking out onto the city of harrisburg.it was a little blustery but the wonderful company made up for the chill.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

...to red cardigan over at "and sometimes tea" for saying what i have been trying to put into words for about ten years now. if you've ever had a beef with the musical stylings at your parish on any given sunday morning, take a gander at her "open letter to marty haugen." genius. pure genius. and while we're on it take a look at the curt jester's post on "haugen-haas ice cream." now if i could find a letter written to bernadette farrell i could complete my trifecta.

Warm Weather...Finally?

well, i was getting all excited with the weather we were having there at the beginning of may and then it started to get a little brisk...and then on monday it got downright cold, and rainy, and yucky. need i go on? but, the rest of this week it has progressively gotten warmer and that leaves me pining for summer. truth be told, summer actually stresses me out quite a bit because there isn't the structure of the school day and such. i'm a give me the exact same predictable schedule every day kind of gal and summer doesn't seem to afford much of that. but, the warm weather seems to make up for it. anyway, in my excitement about the warmth we started doing some nature-ish studies here around the house. well, as much nature as you can observe in the burbs, but moving out here from the city...it seems like we're livin' on a farm i tell ya. first, the birds.we put this birdhouse in our tree out front in january when we moved in but it hadn't seen any action. that is until monday. at the beginning of this week mr. and mrs. tree swallow have made this little bungalow their very own and from the looks of all the twigs and grass they are carrying in...they are fixin' to start themselves a family. yes, i said fixin'. no, i didn't like living in the south, but there were elements of it that i rather fancied and some of the language was one of them. so sue me. anyway, back to the swallows. we're pretty sure that's what type of bird they are, thanks to this trusty manual . you should really pick one up if you don't have one. it has tons of stuff and great info about all sorts of plants and animals. the happy couple in the tree also seem to enjoy the company an eastern bluebird that happens by periodically. in hopes of attracting him and his leading lady we are going to be building a free standing birdhouse for the back yard. at first we didn't think that anything would nest in there because of all the action and foot traffic in front of our house but the tree swallows don't seem to mind it at all. they let us get very close to them and they sit on the posts and sing while we play outside. the kids love it.

now, onto the plants. in march i transplanted these strawberries from our old house to our new one.i was afraid that they wouldn't do well being uprooted in the spring but they are looking healthier than ever and are full of blooms.And look at this beautiful miniature lilac bush.i just love lilacs and the size of this one is too cute. plus, we didn't have to plant it. this was put in by the builder before we bought the house. how did they know that my husband mowed my down at the old house and i had been yearning for another ever since? but really, the choice of bushes and such buy the builder is absolutely astounding. i'm so pleased. take a look at these lovely ones.


and since it's too late at night for me to fight with blogger about where to put my pictures, you'll just have to follow the descriptions. the bush with the darker colored leaves and dark buds on it has opened in tons of beautiful flowers. i frankly can't figure out what it is, even after some research. the dark green little bush has the cutest little ruffled flowers that are dark pink with white edges. the lighter green bush that has the pinkish hint to it is growing out of control. if anybody can tell me what any of these last three bushes are called i will send you...something great...like...a heartfelt congratulations on your knowledge of horticulture. cause that's just how generous i am. ;)

Delicious Beauty

lately i have been wondering, "do i incorporate the liturgical year enough into our families daily life?" i do what i can with crafts and readings and such. especially if it is a holy day we are attending mass for i always make sure the kids know about the day we are celebrating but i would like to incorporate more of the everyday. more of the extraordinary that will be a yearly happening, a tradition that our children will remember for years to come. so i was very excited today when i wandered over to Catholic Cuisine. this site is a feast for the eyes and the tummy. it not only contains wonderful tips and recipes, but it is also beautifully put together. go check it out and bring the faith alive in your kitchen.

Yes My Friends...Homeschooling Does Work

here's a conversation that occurred today in my car that made me take a step back, breathe easy and say, yep, they are actually learning something.

dd8 (to a passenger in our car) - "hey, we went to valley forge last week."

passenger - "what's valley forge?"

ds4 - "well, it's where george washington spent the winter during the war. don't you know that?"

dd8 - "yes, but while they were there things were bleak and they thought for sure they had lost the war until spring came with better trained troops and fortifications."

i kid you not, she actually used the words "bleak" and "fortifications" in a sentence. and they were used correctly too. just what you need on those days when you think spring has taken ahold of their minds for good and their eyes have glazed over so thickly you swear you could figure skate on them. oh, i do kid...kind of.

One of the Great Things About Being a Mom

my four year old little man was ecstatic when his daddy turned on the baseball game. here are the words of wisdom he shared with us.

"hey dad, you see that guy right there? well, he's the thrower...cause well...he throws the ball. and that guy there is the swinger 'cause he just stands there and swings the bat. that guy back there is the kneeler...'cause he never gets off of his knees. and that guy dressed all in black with the mask on...he's the empire."

i guess he thought the umpire gear looked like something out of star wars. maybe we should get him in little league or something so he doesn't get laughed at...too much.

My Beautiful Little Lady

...received her First Holy Communion last sunday. i'll have more to say later (because i didn't stop crying all day). but until that time...here's some pictures.

busy, busy, busy

well, this week has been crazy and that' only a prelude to this weekend. dh left early for work this morning (so that meant the whole house was up, and kind of crabby) early too. he has to go pick up his parents from the airport this afternoon because we don't have a car that is large enough for me, them and the kids to fit in...all at once that is. it kind of elicits thoughts of a clown car. anyway, they will arrive today, oldest dd's birthday is tomorrow, her uncle and godparents arrive saturday and her first holy communion is on sunday. i think if one more thing was jam packed into this weekend my head would pop. so, there probably won't be anymore posts this weekend (unless i'm trying to escape from houseguests for awhile...i don't do real well with lots of people). please say a prayer for my (not so) little girl for her big day on sunday. we are all really excited. this is our first to receive the Lord and we can't wait. i'm sure to have some great pictures come monday.