Broken Bones

The Imp spent last week at a retreat. She called Wednesday and told me she hurt her foot when landing on a leap during a liturgical dance. I asked all the mom questions: "Do I need to come up? How bad is it? Have you iced it? Are you wrapping it?" She answered with all the kid responses: "Yes, I'm icing it. Yes, I'm fine. DON"T COME UP!" There are adults on retreat so I figured if she were really hurt, they'd take her to the ER. I pick her up yesterday afternoon and her foot is 3 times the normal size, black and blue and basically looking 'not good.' Took her to an Urgent Care center today...yep metatarsal #5 (running from the pinkie) is cracked. She's in a temporary cast until we can get in to see an orthopedic doctor. Now, none of this is earth-shattering or terrible in itself and with it being only cracked, she apparently didn't do more damage by her walking on it, but the standard period of time in a cast is 4 weeks. 4 weeks from Wednesday is August 10th. 4 weeks from Monday is August 15th. She leaves for World Youth Day August 12th! So I'm storming heaven for her rapid healing.

We all went to see Harry Potter last night. As always, the film just can't do what a book does. The most disappointing part was how the film dealt with Fred Weasley's death. One of the best parts was Mrs. Weasley giving it good to Bellatrix LaStrange. It's great to see movies where the theater is full and everyone cheers and laughs and gasps at the right time. Being the conservative that I am, I was amazed at how many children under 10 were there. Not only do I think the content not appropriate for that age, but it was a 9:00 showing that didn't get out 'til close to 11:30 PM. Kids need to sleep.

I'm beginning to get a little stressed about World Youth Day and all that we need to get done for that. I'm really trying hard not to borrow trouble and worry but to turn the anxiety into productive planning. (Right. I'll keep telling myself that and maybe one day it'll work.) Summer is over then. Way too quickly. And I've not done half the projects I'd wanted to complete. And now I've added more doctor appointments into the mix.

In the mean time, we're trying to get the Imp's class schedule fixed. Currently her schedule shows no class for period 8 Semester 1. And she's in both AP Government and DE Political Science (she wants one or the other...not both). Her guidance counselor left the school and the new one has not started, so she's without a guidance counselor. We'd been dealing with the department secretary who is a very sweet woman who knows a lot...but not everything. Finally got an appointment with the head of the department for Tuesday. Ugh.

Painting with Monet and Merlot

Two of my friends convinced me a few months ago to sign up for an evening of "Painting with Moent and Merlot" It was a deal offered through Living Social so we paid half price. It sounded like lots of fun. And it was.
Last night we headed off to a restaurant where the party room was set up for this little class. The instructor walked us through step by step on how to copy the work displayed. I love doing creative stuff anyway and this was perfect. Add a glass of sangria and life was really, really good.

Hubby and I have been talking lately about 'things' we want and other than getting a slightly larger TV when our current one dies (It's 10 years old and is a 32-inch) there aren't many actual things we want, we'd like to spend our money on experiences. We'd like to travel to Italy and the Holy Land, go to more live entertainment (plays, concerts) and things like that. We'd like to be able to take our future grandkids to museums and ball parks and amusement parks, and the beach and the mountains. Experiential.

Last night at the painting class was the very thing. I learned some new things (always, always a plus), spent time with 2 great friends and walked away with a painting. Life is very, very good.

The first picture is of our instructor demonstrating the next step. The rest are the progression of my painting.

Summer

I have a love/hate relationship with summer. I love having my girls home with me and I love not having so many meetings and such that only occur during the school year. But somehow, I am always busier during the summer than during the school year. Maybe I'm not really busier, but my expectations are that summer is a time of relaxation and it really isn't. For years, Hubby told me I had it wrong. He said that as a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) summer would be my busy time of year. And I guess I agreed with that when the girls were younger. I had to provide some structure to their days. And the summer has always been when I tried to teach the girls some 'real life skills'. They have to make dinners (from planning a balanced meal, to getting the ingredients on the grocery list, to making it) and they always have a sewing project. At first it was just something like a pillow but each year I wanted them to do a more intricate project. In addition, the summer was when we cleaned out closets, etc. But as they got older (21 and 17), I guess I imagined that things would be less on me and more on them. Not so. In fact, this year I'm doing all the sewing! They picked the patterns and material, but I'm doing the sewing. To be fair, the Imp has done the pinning the pattern and cutting it out and the Singer works 40 hours a week plus has a 40 minute commute each way. And somehow extra stuff always gets thrown in. But even with all the stuff, I still love summer.

The Imp is off for a week. She's helping to run a retreat-type week for other teens. She helps train the teens to be retreat-helpers during the year. It's a great way to spend a week and it has given her great confidence in her skills and has helped her know things to help her stay firm in and being able to defend her faith. This is her 4th year. They have theme nights. This year one night is Famous Characters. Her friends all decided to go as Disney characters, so her friends are Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Ariel. The Imp gets to be Tinkerbell. That's amusing in lots of ways, since the Singer has always had a love of Tink and has tons of Tinkerbell stuff. But once you stop to think about it, Tinkerbell is a great fit. Tink has got an attitude, as does the Imp and truthfully, the Imp just isn't "Disney Princess" material. So this week I had the honor (right!) of making her a Tinkerbell costume! Working with tulle isn't as easy as one would imagine. But I got it done. I can't wait to see the pictures!

Both girls are getting excited about going to World Youth Day. They leave on August 12 and return on the 22. Both girls will be missing the first days of school, but I think the experience is well worth it. Yesterday we found out that their group was given the opportunity of picking 3 participants to sit in the FRONT ROW of seats at the prayer vigil with the Pope. The Singer was picked as one of the three! What a thrill! The Singer is studying theology and spent this past semester studying many of Benedict's writings and is a big fan. She's so excited, I'm not sure she'll sleep between now and then. I'm so happy for her. She refers to Pope Benedict as El Papa or Benny.

I'm sitting here in a darken house as it storms outside. It began about 7 this morning. I love listening to the rain and am thrilled with the rainfall, as we desperately need it.  However...I have errands to run and don't really enjoy driving and running in the rain.  We actually got rain last night, too, so the roads have standing water.  But I won't complain.

Four Years? Not Possible.

Four years ago today my little brother John died due to ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  It doesn't seem possible.  I miss him, and yet I somehow feel like I've shared the last 4 years with him.  Hubby and I were just discussing the immense leaps in maturity both our daughters have shown in the last 6 months.  How is it that I haven't shared that with John?  I'm not certain how to express what I'm feeling.  There is a definite sadness of not actually seeing John and hearing his laugh and wondering if I missed something in the conversation when his eyes would twinkle with that "I know a joke you don't".  But there is also a strong feeling of him still being here with me...I carry him in my heart and often think of things to tell him.
Years ago John told me he thought the Singer should be a nun.  The Singer was all of 12 at the time.  I told him anything was possible but that I wouldn't share his opinion with her 'till sometime later.  Last year the Singer began to seriously discern her future and entering the convent was one of the paths she was looking at.  I told her then what John had said.  I feel like John knows all about that, but would still have loved to sit, talk and laugh with him about it all.
The Imp has grown up sooo much this year.  It's hard to imagine that her knowledge and experiences with John stop when she was only 13 years old.  Her life view is so different now, she would have been able to enjoy John more as she has matured.  I am sad for her loss that she doesn't even realize she should miss.




Whenever I try to express my thoughts and feelings about things deep and personal like this, I feel like I lack knowledge of an entire set of vocabulary words that would somehow succinctly, eloquently and comprehensively allow me to communicate.  I don't normally struggle with what word/words to use to accurately portray my thoughts.  In this area I inevitably feel uneducated; and unable to clearly articulate my meaning.

3-Day Weekends and Awesome Brownies

It would be so nice if 3-day weekends were really 4 or 5 days long.  I enjoyed just spending time with my family this weekend, and will miss that now that the work week has begun.
Saturday we all went to a wedding.  I love going to weddings with Hubby.  I get all mushy inside and just enjoy contemplating how wonderful it is to be married to my best friend.  The wedding Mass was beautiful but my favorite part was at the reception, the groom washed the bride's feet.  The groom is quite adorable and he stumbled over his words, then said to his new bride, "I just want you to know I am here always to serve you as Christ came to serve."  And he really meant it.  We are friends with both the bride and the groom and are so very happy for them!
After that, we basically just hung out as a family around our house and pool.
We did get a new vacuum.  Our old one didn't seem to clean as well as it once had and then started to smell like something burning if you had it on for more than 3 or 4 minutes.  So I spent time going room to room vacuuming and  as the new machine is bag-less, I could see exactly what was picked up in each room.  Yuk.  (Except, I felt so much better knowing the carpets were now clean.)  3 girls can generate gobs of hair very easily.
Friday night was the ceremonial "Summer Survival Bag" unveiling.  To mark that event, I made these scrumptious brownies (recipe at end of post).  I made these brownies right for Easter.  I didn't enough vanilla so I used 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond extract.  The Imp calls these "crack brownies" because once you've had one, you're addicted and must have more.  We had told the Singer about them and she was skeptical about their allure.  After having them, she too is calling them "crack brownies."  So that is the 'official' name.  I just hope they don't discuss them too openly and give people the wrong idea.  I had to have Hubby hide them so I wouldn't inhale the entire plate.  We doled them out throughout the weekend.  The only drawback is that the recipe is for a scant 8 by 8 inch pan.  I tried altering the recipe for a 9 by 12 pan, but they didn't turn out as wonderful as before.  I might have over-baked them...and this recipe is ruined by that, or some recipes just don't increase well.
The best thing this weekend is I started the puzzle I got for my birthday: a 2000 piece Sistine Chapel puzzle.  Be still my heart.  I'm probably about 1/3 done.  But the more you get done the faster it goes.  I love jigsaw puzzles.  My family knows me well getting this for me.

We watched 'Inception' Sunday night.  It was actually much better than I thought it would be.  People had told me it was similar in style as 'the Matrix' movies.  I'm not a big fan of those.  But while there were some similarities, I thought it was much better.  I'm not a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but he did a nice job.  I think I like him better now that he is a little older.

I just finished reading "The Shack". Quite thought-provoking. I'd recommend it to anyone, but don't approach it like light reading.

The Imp is gearing up for the release of the last Harry Potter movie by rereading books 5, 6 and 7. She'll be on retreat the day it is released (at 12:01 on a Friday morning) but plans to go straight from her retreat to the theater to see it Friday night. And while some parents worry about the true message sent by the Harry Potter series, I'm not that concerned partly because she is just as crazy about the Narnia series and we discuss the symbolism, subliminal messages, etc of most everything she watches. She looked up her summer reading for her AP English course and squealed in delight that one of the two books is "Pride and Prejudice." I believe she can quote entire passages. She originally read the book the summer after 8th grade. She has seen multiple movie renditions (and can tell you which ones stay true to the book in various ways). She's thinking of having a "Pride and Prejudice" party at the end of July watching the 6-hour movie (which she says is best).


Best Brownie Recipe
(originally from allrecipes.com but below is my 'tweaked' version)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs (allow them to come to room temperature)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup hershey's cocoa (I use part regular and part extra dark)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 8-inch pan

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 c butter. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs and flavorings. (I use a whisk). Sift together cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Slowing beat dry ingredients in. Spread batter in prepared pan

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

The recipe from allrecipes.com called for a frosting. I've never made it. The brownies are perfect as they are.

Fantastic Birthday

Yesterday was a great birthday.  I had made banana bread with chocolate chips Tuesday night (using Sarah's recipe) so I had the wonderful sweet treat for breakfast.  I had no great plans for the day, so I decided to make my cake from scratch.  I spent Monday and Tuesday searching my recipe books and the web for something "good."  I stumbled across the Hershey's web page and hit the jackpot.  I allowed the family to give me their input, but ultimately, I decided on this deliciously decadent dark chocolate cake.  I was unaware that Hershey's made a dark chocolate cocoa, but won't soon forget it!  Though I absolutely adore chocolate and savor all dark chocolate I eat, the cake seemed a little too chocolate-y even for me.  So I went to my Betty Crocker cook book and made a fluffy (boiled) white icing for the between the two round cakes and covered the whole thing in the superbly wonderful dark chocolate icing published with the cake recipe.  Oh my.  It.  Was.  So.  Delicious.   I think once this cake is gone (and it won't be long in this world) I will dream of it, especially on days I have chocolate cravings.  I'm not sure we'll ever make a different chocolate cake.  Can you tell I really liked it?
In addition to totally enjoying myself making a mess in the kitchen, we ate take-out Chinese out back by the pool.  The weather was so gorgeous.  Not too hot as is often the case having a May birthday and living in Tampa.  There was even a nice breeze.  Having the Singer home from college and both the Singer and the Imp on their "best behavior" falling over themselves to make my birthday great.
We had decided some time ago to celebrate Mother's Day and my birthday on Saturday the 21st.  I was in NC for Mother's Day and with my birthday being mid-week of exam week for the Imp and because I am pretty spoiled when it comes to my birthday a mid-week celebration simply wouldn't be enough fanfare to properly celebrate these two great days.  So part of what made yesterday so wonderful was the anticipation of more to come this Saturday.  Gifts will be given then.
Then it was wonderful to get emails all day telling me of many friends wishing me well on Face book.  And then my parents called and sang Happy Birthday to me.  The day ended with a back rub from my Hubby.  Life is pretty darn good.
I needed a day of just enjoying life.  It seems the last few weeks have been rather stressful.  I went to visit my dermatologist at the end of April (having to see her twice a year after my seriously abnormal results in October).  She removed two questionable moles for inspection.  One came back seriously abnormal, so I was back to the surgeon to have a significant amount of tissue removed from my arm.  The previous surgery was on my arm, but close to the elbow.  This tissue was removed from my triceps area.  I now have a 'divot' in my arm.  Not the end of the world, I realize, but not something someone would choose.  Then two weeks ago, I got to spend the day in the ER with the Imp with severe abdominal pains.  Her CT scan ruled out appendicitis but revealed a "female problem" (she really doesn't want details published on the web).  We've been to a gynecologist and are in a waiting pattern.  The issue is NOT life-threatening nor indicative of any kind of cancer.  The issue could a) resolve itself, b) get better with a course of treatment, c) require surgery, d) indicate a persistent annoying issue, e) indicate a persistent more serious issue.  So that has been weighing heavily on my mind.  The Imp has responded as she does to most of life.  "It doesn't hurt now, so I won't think about it."  She knows she doesn't have to worry when I'm around.  I'll worry enough for both of us.  The waiting is really the hardest part.  We don't know what ultimately will happen because of this, so I can't begin working to make it better.  We return to the gynecologist in mid June and then again 2 months later.  Hopefully by then we'll have a better picture of the issue.  While it is ultimately great that I have a Hubby who doesn't dwell on things or worry, when I'm in the middle of a serious worry-fest it is quite infuriating that he deems the situation not worthy of that kind of reaction.  And it's not that he doesn't worry or rant/rave/cry but that he acts as if I'm crazy/childish/obnoxious for doing those things.  After crying and imagining the worst case scenarios, I'm able to function in front of the Imp and keep it together when others ask about the situation.  Hubby, however, down plays the whole thing partly because he hates to see me distressed.  It's a good thing I have my female friends who sympathize appropriately to help me through this.
I think it's time for another piece of some decadent chocolate cake.

Heartbreak at State Regatta

The Imp and "her" Girls Varsity 8 team went to State competition this weekend.  They'd practiced almost everyday during their Spring Break (some days 2 practices) and had been having morning (6:45 am) practices when school was in session 2 days per week (in addition to their 4-6 pm daily practices after school).  They were all set.  They were expecting to finish mid-pack.  There were 2 7-boat heats and they were hoping to finish in the top 6 but felt confident they'd finish in the top 12.  That was not to be.
After getting up at 4:15 am to leave the house at 5 to get to Sarasota by 6:30 to help rig the boat before the coxswain meeting at 7, the Imp's race was to start at 8:07.  They were in lane 7.  If you've never seen a crew regatta, it takes time for the boats to get into position for a start.  They start with the boat in lane one getting into position, and go forward, so lane 7 is last.  The boats are 17 meters long (that's almost 58 feet) so maneuvering the boats isn't simple.  There are different types of starts based on weather conditions.  They'd been told at the meeting they were having one kind of start unless/until conditions changed.  They were the 2nd heat of the day.  Well, they had a terrible start.  The start had changed to a countdown start (the other start has the official asking each boat if they are ready...the countdown start does not).  The Imp's boat was not in position, and in fact had girls with their oars out of the water.  The start happened before the Imp realized it was going to.  In her and her team's panic, they crossed into lane 6, which caused more panic/frustration.  They finished last in their heat (boats 1-6 all went on to some other race, boat 7 was totally eliminated).  To their credit they finished only 2 seconds behind boat 6 and only 30 seconds behind boat 1 (that's a fairly close heat when all 7 boats finish within 30 seconds).  The girls were crushed.  It broke my heart to see them carrying their boat out of the water with tears streaming down their faces.
But I have to say now, that it was probably a great learning experience for the Imp.  I also have to say that I'm proud of her response to the event.  When the coach called the team around, she immediately said "It's my fault, I didn't get them ready for a good start" Not "The officials are idiots" or "It's unfair" or anything like that.  She saw her role as coxswain to captain her boat and the poor start in her eyes, was a result of poor direction to her team.  She felt even more responsible when she found out that had she simply sat at the start line and not had her team row, she could have gotten a second start.  No one has ever told her that, but she felt responsible.  I gotta be proud of that.  She said her first task today at their team meeting is to get the official rule book so she knows all the rules for the future (that means next year...their season is over).  Like I said, I am proud of her leadership.
Saturday was excruciatingly long.  Their race was over by 8:15 (and their boat out of the water and stowed by 9am) the boys races weren't until 2 and 3 pm.  So the girls had to be supportive of the boys team throughout the day and couldn't even go home and lick their wounds.
As her mom, I wish they'd advanced to the next round, and as her mom, it breaks my heart to see her struggle, suffer, etc.  But as her mom, I'm also glad for this experience.  It's made her stronger and prepared her for lots of other "unfair starts" she'll face in her life that have nothing to do with crew.  And her attitude of "what can I do differently to make this better?" is going to serve her well.  I so understood her sentiment of just wanting to be able to row the race again, even without it meaning anything, just to row it well to finish on a positive note.
The venue in Sarasota is awesome with plans for it becoming better.  Here's a few links about the venue.

Kidney Stones

Never a dull moment.  The Singer calls last night a little after 11 pm.  I can tell be the sound of her voice when she says "Mommmmm.."  I'm thinking, 'please don't let it be a car accident or something terrible."  And she proceeds to tell me she's in so much pain in her abdomen that she thinks she going to get sick to her stomach.  Do I think she should wait it out or go to the emergency room.  Really?  Her junior year in high school she got kidney stones during her 1st semester exams which continued to cause her pain all the way up to Christmas.  So is it the same kind of pain?  Yep.  Then go to the emergency room.  I tell her make sure someone else drives.  She then sounds indignant with an 'of course."  Hey, if you don't know to go the emergency room, can I be sure you don't know not to drive in so much pain?  5 hours later, with a diagnosis of kidney stones and pain meds and anti-nausea meds she was back in her dorm room.  I couldn't sleep until I heard all was okay.  Thank goodness she has such a wonderful roommate who took great care of her.  Awake at 8:30 this morning, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep.  And I have a long list of things to get done this weekend.  Such is life.  I'm just so relieved it isn't something worse.  Abdominal pain can be a whole host of problems.  Kidney stones are 'doable'.  And I can say that as someone who has had them.

I'm enjoying the beautiful weather and eating the lettuce and green peppers from my garden.  My cukes are coming along.  I have a few about 2 inches long.  I can't wait to eat them.  My roses are blooming.  My Fragrant Cloud has 10 buds.  3 of them should open today and then a few more for the next couple of days.

We went to University of Central Florida on Monday with the Imp.  It's on her top 2 list.  I'm not too sure.  It's not the university per se that has me concerned.  It's the fact that there are 56,000 students.  Yep 56 thousand!  The second largest university in the country.  It just seems like it would be so easy to get lost in the mix there.  Her other top choice is University of North Florida which will visit this summer since we really need an overnight  stay to go there.  Guess I'll be doing lots of praying over this 'cause there's really not a whole lot else to do.

The home school coop I teach for is having their parent meeting Monday night.  It's really a meeting where each teacher gets up and pitches their courses so parents will sign up their kids.  We get paid per student you want people to want your class.  I'm slated to teach US History (which I'm very excited about and have lots of ideas for) and public speaking (I'm thinking this could be really wonderful but I've got to do much more to create the curriculum, etc.)  I just got asked to teach this course a week ago so I've got to come up with the structure of the course and how I plan to attack it and then come up with a 5 minute or less presentation selling it.  Now if I'm teaching Public Speaking I'd better be able to sell the course with a public speech, right?  And finally I'm doing the drama club.  I'm in way over my head there...just because what I'll do with that depends greatly on the number of kids who sign up.  This weekend will be stressful as I do all this, but overall it's really all very good.  I'm glad I've got things to focus on and ways to stay involved.  The crochet club this year is making baby afghans for the local pregnancy center.  Each student is making granny squares and I'm crocheting them all together.  I think between the 7 or 8 members we will end up with 3 or 4 afghans.  After first semester just learning how to crochet, it was great to have a goal or mission this semester.

Better go get started on all of this.

The Love Dare

Sitting in a quiet house early in the morning reading my devotional...it is wonderful.  During the day I find myself frustrated with so many things...wishing the world were more supportive of my values....often feeling as if every value (honesty, modesty, moderation, love, patience, etc) I want to teach my children is the very things society is urging them to denounce.
Modesty is on my radar especially as I get ready to go prom dress shopping with the Imp.  Her slight build makes it easier to find a dress that covers things...but so many are still too revealing and too suggestive.  The Imp is going with a friend, not a boyfriend, and her words, "I wouldn't want to go with a boyfriend because then you're expected to dance like your having sex with your clothes on.  That's just sick!"  In fact she was thinking of not going at all but her other friends talked her into going as a group.  She said she'd much rather go to St. Leo's to the carpenter shop (a meeting room for the teens) put on some music and just have fun dancing with everyone.

So for Lent I'm doing the "Love Dare" on my husband.  My TEAM read an article about marriage during Lent and it was about really actively loving your spouse.  I need a little more concrete, specific ideas.  So I got out the "Love Dare" and have started.  I'm on day 6.  It was interesting because some of the stuff I already do.  Day 2 has you calling your spouse during the day to just say "hi" and asking if there is anything you can do for them.  Well I almost felt like I needed to call 2 times to fulfill the love dare since I call Hubby most days to do just that.  Then Day 3 has you buy something for your spouse.  That was very hard for me as Hubby is so NOT into THINGS of any kind.  And he is so into NOT spending money.  If it weren't Lent I might have gotten him a box a Suzy Q's (one of his absolutely favorite junk food that he doesn't have very often) or a six-pack of a dark beer (but he gave up chocolate and alcohol for Lent).  So I went ahead and bought him two tickets for the Rays game when the Red Sox first come to town this year.  Carl Crawford, a hero for the Rays for the last few years, sold out to the enemy.  (We knew he was leaving the Rays..the Rays just don't pay money like the other clubs but were hoping he'd go to a team not in our division...The Red Sox?  Really?)  Ever since Crawford signed with the Red Sox Hubby has talked about going to the game to cheer Crawford when he's introduced as a fond farewell, then boo him for the rest of the game.  I was going to get him tickets to opening day but only the beach seats left with 2 seats together.  Again, he was thankful, but it wasn't really out of the ordinary.  It's funny 'cause the Love Dare comes from the movie, Fireproof, and in it the couple is on the verge of divorce so the husband starts this love dare and his wife totally ignores his attempts to love her.  Hubby and I are so happy in our marriage I guess I had visions of him being so thankful.  Which, of course, is totally NOT the point of the endeavor.  The whole idea is that as a married person we are called to love the other no matter what.  Not because they deserve it (none of us deserves God's love, after all) or because of what we get out of it (recognition, affirmation, etc).  So I laughed at myself for looking for that recognition.  My love-language is words of affirmation so I often look for them/desire them to make me feel loved, but really, I was missing the point.  So just spending the time focusing on that whole idea...no matter what he does or doesn't do I'm called to love him...has been a good thing for me.  34 more days.  We'll see where it all leads.

Gotta go get the Imp up so we can hit the mall...fortunately she went with the Singer last week and has a dress picked out so it shouldn't be too long at the mall.  And we're hitting the library afterward...my carrot.

Spring!

The Singer is home for Spring Break.  The weather is gorgeous (80 today and high 70s and low 80s the rest of the week).  The only drawback to the weather is not enough rain recently and I'm trying to get my garden going. My broccoli is harvested.  It hit 80 last week and they started to flower.  80 is a no-no for broccoli.  I'll have to plant earlier next year!  My leaf lettuce is producing, 'Got small peppers on my pepper plants.  The cukes are transplanted to the garden.  Bean seeds are sown.  Onions are transplanted.  Herb garden doing great.  Roses have buds.  But I hate watering by hand.  Just rain already!  Focusing in on my garden is my attempt to forget the layer of yellowish-green oak pollen that is coating everything!  
Allergies are in full swing for the whole family.  I've actually slept out on our couch (very comfortable, btw) to sleep without Hubby's snoring.  No fault of his.  He's taking his allergy meds and sleeps on 2 pillow to help keep his head elevated, but it's allergy season.  Once I fall asleep, rarely is his snoring so loud that it wakes me, but if I'm having a hard time falling asleep...even the just noisy breathing keeps me from sleeping.  On those nights it's just easier to let Hubby fall asleep and then for me to move to the couch.  It's not often, but for years I would suffer through hours of sleeplessness thinking it wasn't good for a wife to sleep elsewhere from her husband.  But after 26 years, he knows I'm not avoiding him, and I'm able to demonstrate my love for much easier if I've actually slept.
The Imp is thrilled to have the Singer home.  Not so thrilled that she has to still go to school every day while the Singer sleeps in and goes to the beach.  But every night we're eating together, doing dishes and then gathering around the Wii and playing Mario.  It's a blast.  The four of us all tripping over each other (in the game) and yelling and screaming when we 'die' and cheering when we complete a level.  We are pretty geeky.  
Speaking of geekiness.  The other day the Imp was saying how it was obvious that Hubby was a geeky about computers and that I was geeky about history/geography/teaching but that she really wasn't geeky.  Hubby just laughed and said..."Shoes!"  She couldn't say much to that.  Dinner has been lots of fun.
I'm having so much fun teaching economics to my home school group.  I'm having them complete a Personal Budget Project.  They had to draw a career, with appropriate starting salary, a family, and then had to determine taxes, figure their monthly take-home pay, and now have had to find a car, an apartment, budget for gas, car insurance, cable, groceries, etc.  Then every few weeks they draw a "Life Happens" card.  Things like "Your car needs an oil change."  or "You got a speeding ticket"  or "It's your child's birthday, plan and budget a party and gifts" or "Your favorite band is in town."  It fun to hear their comments.  Even those who are married only have one income (for simplicity's sake).  So one girl said, "Do I have to take my husband to the concert if I go?  He doesn't even work!  And I have to take care of him!"  This from a girl whose mom is a stay-at-home mom.  I said "Does your dad take your mom out?"  It's just too funny.  The parents are very happy with the project.  It's generated much discussion in the homes.  This is what I love about teaching.
My crochet group is making baby afghans for the Pregnancy Center.  I'm having fun.  

Ain't Family Great

The Singer called last night around 8, stressed to the max.  "Mom, I just can't spend another night in the dorm with all those people around all the time."  Both my daughters desperately need alone time.  The Singer's need is striking as she needs the boisterous social time just as much (The Imp is much less the social butterfly so her need isn't surprising.  The Singer is such a social butterfly, cheerleader type, that people don't realize how precious and necessary that time is to her.)
Her desperation carrying through the phone in her tone, "The library is closing, there's nowhere to go, except a cafe in Charlotte but it's suppose to snow tonight and I don't want to get caught in the snow."  (Ah, a new appreciation of the trials of driving in the snow after her trip back to NC in January...now the forecast was for ONE inch of snow...I wasn't too worried, but just listened.)
First I stayed calm.  Asked her to check out the hour by hour forecast (when exactly was it suppose to start snowing, etc.).  Then I told her to call her uncle (my brother) who is but 20 minutes from her, and ask to crash in their spare bedroom.  I was praying this wouldn't be an imposition on them.  Knowing the generosity of both my brother and his wife, I was sure they'd open their home, and knowing the Singer truly wanted to be alone, I figured her presence wouldn't be disruptive.
Family came through.  Within minutes the Singer was heading off to their house.  I texted her this morning asking how it went.  "Blissful...I got 8 beautiful hours of sleep and got to have a pop tart with Andrew this morning" (Andrew is 5 and probably the cutest kid alive).  I'm so glad she got the sleep.  Still recovering from the flu last week, I've been trying to push the sleep thing on her without being to 'momish'. 

What a great relief to know she has family that will take her in...not just in an emergency..but just to be nice. 
Family is GREAT.

They Don't Have Boots

Yesterday at Mass, our deacon spoke about giving to our diocese's fundraiser.  He spoke about volunteering at Pinellas Hope, a local homeless help center (temporary housing and hot meals provided).  He shared how before going to Pinellas Hope and knowing these people, he, like many middle class Americans, wondered why "those" people didn't just pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  After spending time at Pinellas Hope, he discovered the answer...they don't have any boots!  That story will stay with me for a long time.  There are people who are homeless due to their poor choices (i.e. it's their own fault).  There are also people who are homeless because they never had an adequate support system.  When you are middle class, you usually not only have some sort of savings for emergencies, you also have people who will help you out in emergencies, additionally you have been exposed to the idea (and believe it) that hard work pays off.  It is so hard for middle class America to grasp the reality that the culture of the poor is often dramatically different than our own.  Our Youth Group volunteers at Pinellas Hope a few times each year.  They also spend a night retreat there...sleeping outside, eating the meal provided at Pinellas Hope, etc.  The response is almost always the same..."I had no idea there were 'normal' people who were homeless."  or "I'm never drinking...this guy I met used to work at a nice white collar job and he lost it, his family and his home due to drinking."  I think this kind of experience should be required for all teenagers (and it would probably benefit all law-makers as well).
People who know me, know I am not an advocate for unlimited social programs.  In fact, I think privately run 'help' groups are preferable to government programs all the time.  But, at the same time, I believe too many people who live comfortably frequently misjudge those who have less.
It's not that they don't want to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, they just don't have any boots.

The Triple Bind

I'm ready this book  Triple Bind.
I'm finding it really interesting, and spending time contemplating how much pressure I put on my own two girls.  A friend of mine has a daughter who is a freshman in high school and is having a very difficult time of it.  The girl is super smart, super sweet, very pretty (and dances-ballet- and plays the piano and is a runner).  The girl is feeling inadequate and overwhelmed in high school.  I recommended this book to her.  Just reading the book jacket had my friend very interested.  I found Hinshaw's reference to "America's Next Top Model" especially enlightening.  Both my girls absolutely LOVE that show.  I never could understand why.  Hinshaw explains how the Triple Bind is openly played out on the show and that the appeal is that the girls are succeeding!  

Happy to Live in Florida

Seeing the news the last few days and looking at the weather map, sure makes me happy I live in Florida.  The front line, separating the cold from the nice whether sits just north of me.  It'll come close to 70 today here.  Sure beats the -32 in the northern mid-west.  It is cloudy, and I'm definitely a sunshine-kind of person, but after spending some time outside this morning playing in my gardens, I won't complain.  I have lots of seeds growing up in my planters on my porch...can't transplant them to the garden until I'm really sure it won't freeze again.  My broccoli and pepper plants in my garden are looking good.  After a frigid (for Florida) December and cold January, I would be just fine without a February freeze, but won't tempt fate by planting my little lettuce, cucumber, and onions too soon.
It's February, so we are now surrounded by all the Valentine's Day hoopla.  I've just never liked the pressure of Valentine's Day.  Hubby and I are going out to a great restaurant, Rigatoni's, a week AFTER Valentine's Day.  Fewer crowds, lower prices, more fun.  In fact, Hubby proposed (well...his proposal was less than traditional, but we call it his proposal) to me on Feb 15 of 1984.  He wanted to do it on Valentine's Day, but he said he knew I'd probably say 'no' on principal since I think the hoopla around the day is so overdone.
We celebrated 26 years December 29.  We had a great time.  Nothing like spending your life with your best friend.  We went on Hotwire and got a great hotel room downtown on the river for a steal.  So we went downtown that afternoon with the idea of going skating at the constructed outdoor skating rink they put up at a park on the river (in a tent-like structure to help prevent thawing in the 60 degree weather).  I'd been reading about the rink in the paper and wanted to go ice skating outside (we've a great indoor rink just a few miles from my house).  Well, the rink was smaller than a postage stamp, way too crowded and all torn up from all the skates.  So we passed by the rink and kept walking to the downtown library.  To many, a couple of hours at a library on one's anniversary might not sound wonderful, but to me it was pure heaven.  The only drawback was the heat was on too high.  The downtown library is wonderful...multi-leveled and two sections (east and west) separated by a clear 'tunnel'.  After browsing (and both picking up a few books) we sat and read magazines.  Hubby said we'd have to plan to do this regularly in retirement.  Don't subscribed to any magazines, just plan to spend an afternoon every week at the library, getting our info there.  Now...I'm one lucky girl to have a Hubby like that!
The Singer is back at college, burning the candle at both ends.  She went off to the March for Life in DC the weekend of the 20th.  The next weekend she was off to the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) convention in Tennessee.  She got back late Sunday night and by Tuesday was running a fever.  After running a temp of 103, she headed off to the college clinic and was diagnosed with the flu.  She's wishing she were home for Mom's TLC.  Fortunately she has lots of friends.  They did a drug store run and got Tylenol, orange juice, chicken soup, tissues, and some movies.  So she's in good hands.
The Imp starts school late today due to Junior Class retreat day.  So I gotta go take her in.

Visiting

I love Christmas time.  I've spent the last week baking... Oreo truffles, muddy buddies, apple bread, fudge pie and of course, geiba (a polish sweet/nut bread).  The Imp decorated the house the first weekend of December, before she had to start studying for exams.  The pictures tell it all.

This is her favorite gift from last year: a set of silver bells with the gifts of the 12 Days of Christmas depicted on the handles.

 She may actually love Christmas-time more than me.
Here's the Advent calendar I made for her this year.

Of course, her birthday being right before Christmas adds to her excitement.  I was a little apprehensive about her ability to settle down in study with her exuberant decorating, but she rose to the occasion and  aced all her exams.  Physics was her hard one and she spent hours and hours at home studying and met with a study group for 4 hours the day before her exam.  Her diligence paid off and now she can enjoy Christmas vacation.  Going into exams she knew she needed a high A on the physics exam in order to pull an A out for the semester.  Having not done that well on most of the tests, she wasn't sure she could do it, but she told me "I know I might not get it, but I'd like to really try...then if I don't get it, at least I won't wonder, "If I'd studied more could I have gotten the A?".  That she was willing to try even though the odds were against her made me proud.  That she was rewarded for her efforts just makes it better.

And what do math geeks do for fun?  Make snowflakes of course.

Look closer... what does that say?

M-A-T-H of course and to make it really fun, we threw in a pi sign.  Yep that's what we do for fun in my house.

We're enjoying a visit to Sumter to see my parents.  They've moved into a retirement facility that has independent living rooms and assisted living.  They have a nice apartment, but it's hard on my mom leaving her house and all her space.  There is a dining room in the facility so the kitchens in the apartments are tiny (and that's being generous).  My mom really misses her kitchen.  I think the place is great and can envision Hubby and I in a similar place when we reach our 80's.

We got to spend time with Gwyn and her husband tonight.  I really enjoyed that.  Hadn't seen Gwyn in quite a while.  She looks happy.  I'm glad she found Michael.

I'd promised some people more pics of the Imp as coxswain.  Here they are.

That's the Imp with her back to the camera.

Here she is yelling, oops I mean encouraging, her team on.

And here's just a pic of my two girls.

Gold Medal in Crew and Recovering

The Imp went to Augusta Georgia for a big southeastern regatta, Head of the South.  Her varsity 8 won gold with more than a 20 second lead on the silver.  She's been the coxswain this year and has loved it.  Her varsity 8 boat also won at a regatta in October.  That regatta was great because it was local on the Hillsborough River and Hubby and I could stand on a bridge over the Hillsborough and watch them coming down the river and row right under us (just a few yards shy of the finish line).  They looked really good at that race.  I'm so happy for her.  Here's a picture of her team holding her up after the win in October.

My girls continue to entertain me.  This is from the Imp's facebook page written on the Singer's wall. 

"you used the word "harrowing" in your voicemail to me today.  i did not know what it meant...so i had to look it up XP (–adjective: extremely disturbing or distressing.....in case you were wondering).  stop being so smart because in the future i may too languid to go look up words i do not know.

ILOVEYOU."

Hubby has been working extreme overtime.  It's a little rough not having weekends, especially for him, but each night we remind ourselves how fortunate we are he has a job...a well-paying job...a pretty secure job.  So a few weeks of 7 days of work 10+ hours a day are tolerable.  But I am looking forward to Thanksgiving week when this overtime is supposed to be finished (I'll believe it when I see it) and Hubby will be home.  He's supposed to have the whole week off, but I have the feeling that he'll be working at least a few hours most days, but that's such an improvement, it will seem as if he's on vacation.  


A few weeks ago I had 2 'questionable' moles removed for biopsy.  They both came back 'atypical' so I had to go back in for full removal.  As Hubby has had this happen multiple times, I was expecting a similar experience: a slightly larger and deeper cut than the original with one maybe 2 stitches.  However, my results were 'moderate to severe' abnormalities...apparently close to being classified as melanoma.  In fact they had the biopsies tested twice to make sure it wasn't melanoma.  So when I went in today, the procedure was more extensive then I'd anticipated.  I'll have pretty large scars (there were multiple layers of stitches) and in the mean time I'm pretty uncomfortable.  The moles were removed from my left upper arm and the back of my left upper thigh.  Sitting is nearly impossible right now.  (I'm half-laying, half-sitting on my couch...where I've been since 11:00 am).  I hadn't planned for being out of commission today...I had plans for working on some of the hand-made Christmas gifts.  Now, I'm not even sure I'll be up and around tomorrow.  Ugh.  
The up side (if there is one) is that Hubby and the Imp have been very attentive to me.  Hubby, working from home, took me to and from the doctor's and got my prescriptions filled.  When the Imp got home, she gave him a hard time for not getting me a milk shake (what she gets after harrowing doctor visits).  She couldn't believe he hadn't even thought to ask me.  So she made him stop and get me a HOT Krispy Kreme on the way home from her voice lesson.  Now that was the up side to this day.


This is my favorite time of year.  I love planning and making and baking around  Christmas.  The Imp is gearing up, too.  With her birthday December 22, she'll start the official countdown on November 22.  She loves Advent calendars, as she views them as not just a count down to Christmas but also her birthday.  I'm glad she hasn't lost this childish side to her, even as she's almost 17.

BY YOUR SIDE - TENTH AVENUE NORTH

This song just makes me feel better about life...I love the image of me being a tiny child and being held in God's hands.

Silent Solidarity

What A Game!!!

Rays lead their division! Half a game ahead of the loved-to-be-hated New York Yankees. The game was fantastic! That we play them 6 more times in the next 10 days means anything could happen. The game surely had the feel of a play-off game. Having David Price...PRICELESS! And who knew that Crawford's uncharacteristic blow-up at the ump would allow the young Brignac to win it for us. Here's hoping the other 6 games are played as well (and have the same outcome).

Financial Fast

Hubby and I started a financial fast on Sept 1. Michele Singletary, a writer for the Washington Post wrote a book, 21 Days to Financial Freedom. For the 21 days, you only buy what you need (that means no eating out), and use cash to purchase whatever it is you're buying. It's been tempting to use the cash card at the gas station and other places, but it really does make a difference, for the way your brain processes and absorbs information, to use cash. The fast is not about saving money, per se, but instead is to focus on God and where all things come from. Each day, there is a theme, a Bible passage, and an activity [sometimes the activity is to write about your observations, others it's to actually do something, like create (or modify) your budget]. In the comparison game, I always congratulated myself for my sound fiscal decisions. Hubby and I have a budget (I am always amazed at how many people don't...no wonder they're in debt). So I tended to pat myself on my back, telling myself how good I was doing. But just 6 days into this endeavor and I am amazed at how 'loose' our budget really was. And even though I knew using cash would make a difference, I didn't realize the true impact of it. We pay so many of our set bills (mortgage, car payment, tuition, etc) electronically, I don't even have the activity of writing out a check. It really removes you from the process of watching your money go out. I highly recommend this for anyone.

So Hubby and I are cruising along, enjoying the process, even if we have had to say no to some things we'd normally splurge on. At church yesterday, we had a visiting priest from Haiti speak about supporting the missions. The man was an awesome speaker and how I'd love to have him run a retreat. He was funny, but he also told it like it is. He challenged parents to be willing to their children not like them, challenged retirees to give back to the community with their time, challenged college students to not be so self-centered (the world doesn't owe you anything), challenged our American consumerism. He also described his parish in the heart of Port-au-Prince. As he was describing the conditions, I assumed he was speaking post earthquake, but he wasn't. He's speaking of deplorable conditions and says "and then the earth began to shake for 38 long seconds..." Conditions are worse now. Hard to fathom amidst our prosperity. He (plus the mindset we're in with this fast) has us giving more to the missions than we have in the past. And funny, he never directly asked for money.

The hardest part of the fast are the 'gray' areas. What is a need? And how far are we willing to take this fast? The Singer's last pay check came in the mail, and she wanted a few other things from home sent to her. Well...is mailing the package to her a true need? We decided to send it. But what about our lawn mower's fuel line breaking? Is it a need to get it fixed immediately? Back in the days of 'no-money' as we like to describe our early married years when we were both college students, we would wait until we had the cash, now we tend to charge it without really thinking (we pay it off at the end of the month, as the rule). But it is spending without thinking. Online purchasing is also an area where it is easy to spend more than you realize. The business section yesterday had an article about that very thing. "It's only $.99 for a song on iTunes." But that's still $1 you don't have to spend on something else...including the missions in Haiti.

We're enjoying the long weekend. The Imp has a get together with friends from St. Leo's peer ministry group...it's WAYYYY up north (about 70 miles). So Hubby and I will drop her off, then head to Crystal River State Park to walk and talk. Not a bad way to spend Labor Day, just hope the rain holds off.