tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18039983327521262452024-03-13T05:49:43.202-05:00The Sun-Kissed HomeWhere Liturgy and Family Joyfully CoincideHélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-84920595960998797072009-04-18T20:32:00.000-05:002009-04-19T12:02:06.477-05:00Reeda Turns Two<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SetYkzbZSkI/AAAAAAAAAMs/4LmZrnOD77w/s1600-h/IMG_1958.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SetYkzbZSkI/AAAAAAAAAMs/4LmZrnOD77w/s320/IMG_1958.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326448373599390274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">(She actually blew out the candles. I hadn't seen her do that before.)</span><br /><br /></div>Last week we celebrated Reeda's second birthday. Things have been really hectic around here lately, so it was just a quite celebration with the four of us instead of the party with the godparents that I was hoping for.<br /><br />We had presents, ice cream and a thrown-together-cake-at-the-last-minute-that almost-wasn't. As I was mixing some of the ingredients for the cake I realized that we were out of baking powder. I called a nearby friend and ran over to her house to get some from her. Can I begin tell you how relieved I was that she was home when I needed her?<br /><br />Reeda's favorite present was a doll stroller. She has barely stopped playing with it since she got it. The few times she doesn't play with it, Happy Boy can be seen running around with the stroller on his head. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-43164993983459763772009-04-03T11:38:00.001-05:002009-04-03T11:38:34.259-05:00File Under: Things I Never Thought I’d Say<p>Don’t screw yourself.</p> <p>Context? Happy Boy was using a thin cardboard tube as a screw and “screwing” different things and people. After asking him not to use screws on the furniture or me, he started using it on himself. What I said came out before I thought about what it meant.</p> Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-81560783005897864782009-03-26T22:48:00.001-05:002009-03-26T22:48:22.257-05:0018 Weeks<p>That’s how far along I am in this pregnancy. </p> <p>Each pregnancy I have I get bigger faster and yesterday my husband told me that the way I was sitting with that particular maternity shirt made me look seven months. That reminded me of <a href="http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2008/07/humility.html">this post by Elizabeth Foss</a>.</p> <p>My husband didn’t tell his parents until last month, which sounds late for grandparents to know, but his family has a tendency not to tell people things. For example, I found out today (from reading her blog) that his sister-in-law is pregnant and due in May.</p> <p>Besides being amazingly tired the first six weeks, I have been feeling much better this pregnancy than in my previous ones.  In fact, several times I have wondered if I was still pregnant because I thought I felt so well something must be wrong. But then I would hear the baby’s heartbeat and feel relief. </p> Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-22785217471014320192009-03-18T22:35:00.001-05:002009-03-18T22:35:03.535-05:00Another Book List<p>Some British media group came up with this list based on a request for readers to submit their ten favorite books. Here are the rules:</p> <p>Bold the books you’ve read, italicize those on your “to be read” list, and tally the total. Then list three books that you think should be on the list.</p> <p>According to the media group that did this, the average number of books read from the list is six. </p> <p>(<em>My notes</em>: Some of this seems a little redundant, like 33 and 36, and some of it seems to be somewhat-pop fiction like 37,42 and 50. )</p> <p><strong>1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen</strong> <br /><b>2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien <br /></b><b>3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte <br /></b><strong>4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling</strong><strong> <br />5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee</strong> <br /><b>6 The Bible</b> <br /><b>7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte <br /></b><em>8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell</em> <br />9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman <br /><em>10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens</em> <br /><strong>11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott</strong> <br /><em>12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy</em> <br /><strong>13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller</strong> <br /><i>14 Complete Works of Shakespeare</i> (Read some of them) <br /><em>15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier <br /></em><b>16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien</b> <br />17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk <br />18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger <br />19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger <br /><i>20 Middlemarch - George Eliot</i> <br /><em>21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell</em> <br /><b>22 The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald</b> <br /><em>23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens</em> <br /><strong>24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy <br />25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams</strong> <br /><strong>26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh <br /></strong><em>27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky</em> <br /><em>28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck</em> <br /><strong>29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll</strong> <br /><em>30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame</em> <br /><em>31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy <br /></em><strong>32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens</strong> (I currently reading this and am about halfway done.) <br /><b>33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis</b> <br /><strong>34 Emma - Jane Austen <br />35 Persuasion - Jane Austen</strong> <br /><b>36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis</b> <br />37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hussein <br />38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres <br />39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden <br /><em>40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne</em> <br /><b>41 Animal Farm - George Orwell</b> <br />42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown <br />43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez <br />44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving <br />45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins <br /><strong>46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery</strong> <br /><em>47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy</em> <br />48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood <br />49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding <br />50 Atonement - Ian McEwan <br />51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel <br />52 Dune - Frank Herbert <br />53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons <br /><em>54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen</em> <br />55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth <br />56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon <br /><strong>57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens <br /></strong><em>58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley</em> <br />59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon <br />60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez <br /><b>61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck</b> <br />62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov <br />63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt <br />64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold <br /><em>65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas</em> <br />66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac <br /><em>67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy</em> <br />68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding <br />69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie <br /><i>70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville</i> <br /><strong>71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens</strong> <br /><em>72 Dracula - Bram Stoker</em> <br /><strong>73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett</strong> <br />74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson <br /><em>75 Ulysses - James Joyce <br /></em>76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath <br /><strong>77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome</strong> <br />78 Germinal - Emile Zola <br />79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray <br />80 Possession - AS Byatt <br /><strong>81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens <br /></strong>82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell <br />83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker <br />84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro <br /><em>85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert <br /></em>86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry <br /><b>87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White</b> <br />88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom <br /><strong>89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes<em> -</em> Sir Arthur Conan Doyle </strong>(Read at least one book of stories, but not all SH.) <br />90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton <br />91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad <br /><em>92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery  <br /></em>93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks<em> <br /></em>94 Watership Down - Richard Adams <br />95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole <br />96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute <br /><i>97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas</i> <br /><b>98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare</b> <br /><strong>99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl</strong> <br /><em>100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo</em> </p> <p><strong>Read: 32</strong></p> <p><em>Want to Read: 25</em></p> <p>The “Want to Read” number looks a little ambitious, but since I have the rest of my life ahead of me, it might happen.</p> <p>My three books: </p> <p>The Betrothed <br />The Divine Comedy <br />The Little House on the Prairie Series (obviously I can include the entire series because there were whole series included on the list).</p> <p>So, anyone else up for this meme? Flannery? Mrs. Bear?</p> Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-91050723988426496112009-03-09T20:55:00.001-05:002009-03-09T20:55:54.452-05:00Interesting<p>During yesterday's homily, the priest mentioned that Mount Moriah, the mountain on which Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, and Mount Calvary are one and the same mountain. My husband and I looked at each other in surprise because this was something we had never heard before.</p> <p>Today my husband asked his Bible-scholar brother-in-law about this and was told that they are generally believed to be the same. Here is the verse that lends credence to that belief:</p> <blockquote> <p>Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, which had been pointed out to his father David, on the spot which David had selected. (2Chronicles 3:1)</p> </blockquote> <p>I guess the reasoning is that since the Temple is in Jerusalem, obviously Mount Moriah is in Jerusalem. Mountains are not that common in Jerusalem, so Moriah and Calvary are probably the same.</p> Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-76533000440765838302009-03-06T18:38:00.003-06:002009-03-06T18:42:41.645-06:00Maybe NotToday I mentioned to Happy Boy that I had to make a grocery list for SuperTarget. He took a piece of paper and scribbled out his own grocery list.<br /><br />As we were leaving for the store he said to me, "Here is my grocery list, Mama."<br /><br />"What do you have on it?"<br /><br />"After SuperTarget, we go to Toys R Us."<br /><br />That's what YOU think, dear.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-72652724472245919602009-03-04T18:43:00.002-06:002009-03-04T18:50:16.260-06:00Fraternal LoveThe other day Happy Boy and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reeda</span> were playing together and they bumped their heads together. Happy Boy just sat there a little stunned, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Reeda</span> started crying. When Happy Boy noticed her crying, he ran to me and said, "Mama, I need a Kleenex for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Reeda</span>! She is crying and I need to dry her tears." I probably don't need to mention that my heart melted instantly for his love and concern for her.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-18796604656885744432009-02-26T21:57:00.003-06:002009-02-26T22:04:55.253-06:00Out for a Walk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SadlqTOW0zI/AAAAAAAAAMk/ZBPFDtyBDKo/s1600-h/IMG_1716.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SadlqTOW0zI/AAAAAAAAAMk/ZBPFDtyBDKo/s320/IMG_1716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307322463268819762" border="0" /></a>I found this picture when I took Happy Boy's birthday pictures off the camera. This was taken in December when we went for an outing. I think it's funny that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reeda</span> is taking Happy Boy for a walk. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-74217184429443185402009-02-24T23:49:00.002-06:002009-02-24T23:51:32.519-06:00Too Funny Not to ReadI just found <a href="http://ascozyasspring.typepad.com/as_cozy_as_spring/2009/02/martha-stewart-on-habanero-pepper-spray.html">this blog post</a> and wanted to pass it on. It is only three sentences, so you have time to read it.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-22043722171243719722009-02-24T19:03:00.003-06:002009-02-24T23:42:23.445-06:00Material Discontent<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>We* have had our vacuum since we received it as a wedding present. In other words, our vacuum is almost six years old. For quite some time, every time we use it we have gotten a strong dusty smell, even when the bag was just changed. This combined with knowing that with two children, the floor should be vacuumed or at spot-vacuumed at least every other day and increased knowledge of dust mites and allergens in the carpet has made me want a new vacuum.<br /><br />I would read blog posts by people with a Dyson and think, "Wow. I would really like a Dyson. It is so powerful." Then I would visit people who had a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Roomba</span> and think, " This would be great to have. I would easily be able to vacuum every single day." Or I would have to get out the vacuum just to vacuum up a patch of dirt or food and think, "What I really need is a hand vac. It is just ridiculous to lug out this big thing just to vacuum up a small area of the carpet."<br /><br />It was with great shock that I realized that I desired not one but THREE new vacuums. That was a bit extreme, especially when the vacuum I had was still functioning. How could this happen? How could I be so materialistic? I could give the excuse that "I want all" like St. Therese said, but I don't think that is a valid excuse for me. Rather, I think it is a consequence of living in a rich country where lots of people buy what they want when they want it regardless of their financial situation. We see the nice things that people have and want them too, not knowing whether they can afford them or whether those things just drove them deeper into debt. <br /><br />For Christmas I was given a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Roomba</span>. However, ideally, I still would like both a Dyson and a hand vacuum. Having one object of my desire unfortunately did not quench my desire for the others. Even though these are only wants and not all-consuming desires, it disturbs me that I feel this way. However, I don't know how to rid myself of this greed (or is it envy? or merely covetousness?). Whatever it is, it seems to be a spiritual ill and I suppose I need to pray more for contentment. Lucky me: Lent begins tomorrow! It seems to be the perfect time to try to become less attached to worldly things.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*I say "we" because my husband vacuums just as much as I do, and more if I am pregnant.</span><br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-54806149530454632142009-02-23T21:36:00.002-06:002009-02-23T21:57:37.929-06:00Slumdog MillionaireI don't watch the Academy Awards, so I am in no way desirous of watching a movie merely because it did well at the Oscars. However, there are times when a movie I enjoy is nominated for something (such as the Lord of the Rings movies) and then I hope that it does well.<br /><br />The movie <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Slumdog</span> Millionaire</span> did surprisingly well at the Oscars for being a foreign film with no big-name actors in it. I don't really care how well it did, but its presence in the spotlight for the last few days has reminded me that it was a movie that I wanted to see.<br /><br />I love the plot: a poor man raised on the street becomes a millionaire on an Indian quiz show and then has to prove how he learned all the facts he knew. There is a problem, though. I try to keep my standards high when it comes to movies and that means skipping the R rated movies. I simply don't want to subject myself to the sort of thing that contributes to the "restricted" rating. And unfortunately, <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Slumdog</span> Millionaire</span> has that rating.<br /><br />I thought, "Well maybe the rating was only because of language." I don't mind that to an extent, so I might have been willing to watch it. I looked up the movie's review on the <a href="http://www.usccb.org/movies/s/slumdog.shtml">Catholic Bishop's website</a> and found what I was looking for:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">The film contains beating and torture, fleeting rear nudity, crime and prostitution themes, underage drinking, brief scatological humor and occasional rough and crude language.</span></blockquote>Well, that settled it. I have no interest in watching that stuff. It's too bad that they don't sell movies edited for airplanes.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-34560693829718061582009-02-21T08:51:00.002-06:002009-02-21T09:05:45.394-06:00All Good Things Must Come to an End<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reeda</span> is now able to climb out of her crib. This has made bedtime, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">naptime</span>, and morning time quite a trial. The other night I went to check on the children about ten and found <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Reeda</span> playing in their room while Happy Boy peacefully slept.<br /><br />In the mornings she is now getting up between one and two hours earlier than she did ten days ago. Before when she woke up, she would make a sound or two and go back to sleep. Now she climbs out and by the time she has made it to my room she is too awake to fall back asleep. I will pull her into my bed and watch her yawn, rub her eyes and make sleepy-child noises, but she will not go back to sleep.<br /><br />In anticipation of this unpleasant event, I bought a crib tent off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Craigslist</span> several months ago. I got it out after her first escape only to discover that the children had lost ALL the poles for the tent. After scouring the room I was only able to find half of them. Now we are stuck with a tired Houdini and a somewhat tired and very annoyed mama on an almost daily basis.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-15080783978588863622009-02-20T22:11:00.004-06:002009-02-20T22:46:19.798-06:00Happy Birthday, Happy Boy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SZ-EDesfl_I/AAAAAAAAAMc/y_Hp255vHOE/s1600-h/Train+Cake.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N9UChUqKxls/SZ-EDesfl_I/AAAAAAAAAMc/y_Hp255vHOE/s320/Train+Cake.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305104081379891186" border="0" /></a><br />Happy Boy recently celebrated his fourth birthday. For several months he has frequently requested "a birthday hat and train cake" for his special day. He wore the hat most of the day and was very excited as he watched my husband and I assembled the cake. Now he is looking forward to Reeda's birthday so we can have the birthday hats again and more balloons.<br /><br />For more pictures of the cake, visit <a href="http://platoskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/02/delicious-train.html">my cooking blog.</a><br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-43582201802897542472009-02-14T22:52:00.002-06:002009-02-14T22:59:49.463-06:00Happy St. Valentine's DayWe normally don't do much for Valentine's Day. I would like to do something fun and romantic, but neither of us want to pay for a babysitter or brave the crowds. I love all the ideas for yummy Valentine's treats that have been floating around various blogs, but we are trying to cut back on sugar, so that eliminates just about everything.<br /><br />However, we were actually able to do something special anyway! I was very happy when I realized that we had all the ingredients for the dinner we had the same thing the night we were engaged! It wasn't anything special; we just went to a local hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop and split a 12 inch grilled pastrami sandwich, but it was SO GOOD. So tonight I pulled out all the ingredients, assembled and grilled the sandwiches, and we reminisced about that long-ago night.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-64354997784159497412009-01-31T23:06:00.002-06:002009-01-31T23:18:05.801-06:00Signing TimeFor the last two or three years that I have been reading mommy blogs I have occasionally read posts about how great the Signing Time DVDs are. I looked at their website, but the cost was too much for me, so I would forget about it until I read the next Signing Time praise post.<br /><br />Last week I was at the library and I noticed that they had several Signing Time DVDs there. I don't know why it never occurred to me to look there, but I didn't. I checked out the first one for the children, hoping that it would capture Happy Boy's attention.<br /><br />Not only did it capture Happy Boy's attention, but it also caught <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reeda's</span>. This is the first time that she has EVER been interested in watching any type of film and she loves it. I have been extremely impressed with her development in the short time that we have had the DVD from the library. She now has a slightly larger vocabulary, but the main improvement is that words that she said before are significantly more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">enunciated</span> than before she watched Signing Time. I am excited to see how much of an improvement she has once she watches more of the series.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-75035574824538063332009-01-29T21:43:00.003-06:002009-01-29T21:56:11.106-06:00Hello AgainWow, I've been gone a long time. I have been somewhat operating in a fog and have been almost completely out of it since I got back from vacation. It didn't help that our trip home was far worse than our trip there (I won't bore you with the details) and we suffered its effects for days, and then Happy Boy got croup.<br /><br />Back to the here and now. We have been having some pretty inclement weather for this part of the country. My husband's school canceled classes two days in a row. I don't think that has happened before and I am not complaining. ;) We ended up having what people here call an ice storm, but what my husband says is "practically nothing."<br /><br />Yesterday morning Happy Boy looked out the window and noticed our landing covered with ice and... hail? sleet? I don't know what it was. He said excitedly, "I see winter!" It is pretty sad that in the middle of January he has no idea that we are in winter. How could he when the month's high was 80? Every time we read a book about snow he says, "I like snow." Unfortunately for him, he has only experienced snow once in his life and was too young to remember it.<br /><br />Have a great night!<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-15293280143140803342008-12-30T18:21:00.000-06:002009-01-02T16:41:27.603-06:00Merry Christmas!May all of you have a wonderful, holy, happy twelve days of Christmas (or what's left of it).<br /><br />Our Christmas began with intense disappointment. We arrived at the airport on Christmas Eve, only to be told that they had already given our seats to standby passengers. We would have to come back on Christmas Day before seven a.m. to get on the standby list.<br /><br />We attended Christmas Eve Mass with heavy hearts. I felt badly that this was supposed to be such a joyous occasion, but we were all so sad. We came home, ate Subway sandwiches and watched Wall*E, which we had received as a Christmas present in the mail that day. Since there was the potential of us spending the entire day at the airport waiting to get on a flight, I made muffins for us to eat for breakfast and corn dog muffins to each for lunch. Luckily all the ingredients were right on hand for me.<br /><br />We arrived at the airport at six-thirty and checked in as standby passengers. I can't tell you how many prayers I said that we would get on the first flight of the day. Finally after everyone had boarded we were told that there were two seats on the plane. Happy Boy and I went ahead and boarded and my husband stayed behind with Reeda since her name was on his ticket as an infant. As were were about to get on the plane, Happy Boy noticed that my husband hadn't come, and said, "Papa! Where's Papa?" and started running back to get him. It hurt so much to tell him that Papa had to stay behind and wasn't going to be able to come with us. As we were finding our seats, I saw my husband come into the place after all, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.<br /><br />We ended up arriving at our destination about nineteen hours later than if we were able to get on our original flight. My mom had Christmas dinner all ready for us, and we opened stockings and presents on the second day of Christmas.<br /><br />(Right now my husband and I are at a coffee shop while my mother watches the children. I am on our computer and my husband is using my mom's. A man looked over at us and at the man on a computer at the next table. He said to his wife, "What did people do before there were computers?" She replied, "I don't know. Watched TV, I guess." My husband said, "They did, indeed!")<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-19354493917532933592008-12-19T22:01:00.001-06:002008-12-19T22:02:22.587-06:00Well, Okay ThenMe: Don't touch the Christmas tree.<br /><br />Him: I wasn't. I was just touching the lights.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-35367440717942788432008-12-15T09:53:00.002-06:002008-12-15T09:58:11.380-06:00Change of WeatherAfter writing yesterday that the high was almost 80, I thought I would mention that this morning when I woke up it was only 27. The high is supposed to be 33. I am always amazed at how drastically the weather can change here. I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. A couple of years ago in January it was almost ninety, and two days later the temperature was in the twenties and we were having an ice storm.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-60938674340691233342008-12-14T10:56:00.004-06:002008-12-14T22:53:29.654-06:00Gaudete! An Advent UpdateI can't believe that this is the third Sunday in Advent. Our Advent has been somewhat rocky this year. We have had two Jesse Tree ornaments broken (one of which was not fixable), two or three Advent calender pieces lost, the Advent calender taken down because it was being misused, one nativity piece lost, and so many nativity pieces used like baseball bats that it was finally taken away. Our tree has been up for ten days, but we still don't have any ornaments on it.<br /><br />However, there have been many joys this Advent as well. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reeda</span> now recognizes both the infant and adult images of Jesus which is a development I wasn't expecting for a while. Happy Boy is very excited any time we pass a nativity scene and points out each of the people or animals in it. Both of them sing the chorus to The Little Drummer Boy and Happy Boy knows most of the words.<br /><br />Today we went to one of the two churches that I know if the diocese which has the communicants kneel. We have only been there two other times, but it is always a very reverent service. It is amazing how much a difference there is between a beautiful church and good hymns and what we normally experience during the nearby parish Masses.<br /><br />When Mass was over we went to a nearby Christmas light event. Even though it was daylight, they were still having a lot of activities and things to see. The biggest draw for us though was free admission to the aquarium. The children had a blast looking at everything and fell asleep on the way home.<br /><br />The temperature was pushing eighty so it was pretty warm walking around looking at everything, but that didn't seem to register for some people. I saw a couple families who were wearing hats, mittens and coats (and one of them was even down). I don't know what they were thinking dressed like that with such warm weather.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-33944196999210206552008-11-13T19:20:00.003-06:002008-11-13T23:00:54.980-06:00PreparationsLike many of you, I have started making preparations for Advent and Christmas. I enjoy making lists for things like this, but so far only have mental lists. I really enjoy the process of finding presents for my family, deciding how to celebrate the liturgical aspect of Advent, planning what foods to eat, and similar seasonal things. Things will be a little different this year because we will be out of town for Christmas, but that won't change most things.<br /><br />Here is a list of things that need to be done that I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure it is not complete, but it will at least contain all the big stuff.<br /><br />• <s>Buy Christmas cards</s><br />• Address Christmas cards<br />• Write Christmas cards<br />• <s>Buy the children's presents</s><br />• Buy my husband's presents<br />• Find out to whom we are giving on my husband's side<br />• Buy or make presents for those people<br />• <s>Buy presents for my family members</s><br />• Wrap said presents<br />• Make photo albums for our parents of the grandchildren<br />• Find Christmas ornaments for the children<br />• Put up tree, wreath and other decorations<br />• Dig out the various Advent prayers and novenas we say<br />• Unpack Christmas books<br />• Do some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Mosaic-Illustrated-Study-Advent/dp/0979846919/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226638231&sr=8-1">Christmas Mosaic</a> projects with Happy Boy<br />• Decided on appropriate Advent liturgical studies and celebrations<br />• Decided on which kinds of cookies and/or candy to make<br />• <s>Buy Kool Aid</s><br />• Dye with Kool Aid the white playsilks my brother-in-law bought the children<br />• Make or buy appropriate foods for an airplane<br /><br />It turns out to be a long list, but a lot of this will be pretty easy. Hopefully I will be able to accomplish most of this before Advent begins. I am really looking forward to doing with Happy Boy some of the preschool appropriate books from the Christmas Mosaic. Dyeing the playsilks sounds somewhat involved, but at the same time not difficult.<br /><br />Are you doing anything different or interesting to prepare?<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-59372842709877163132008-11-05T20:15:00.004-06:002008-11-05T20:22:31.354-06:00Goodnight My DeersTonight as I was tucking the children into bed I said to them, "Goodnight my dears." Happy Boy replied indignantly, "Mama! We are not deers! Reeda is Reeda and I am Happy Boy." I laughed and said he was correct.<br /><br />Thinking of his misunderstanding, I remembered some of the homophones which I got confused about when I was a child. Once I heard someone say that a certain restaurant had very good mousse pie. I thought that a pie made out of moose didn't sound very appealing.<br /><br />Another time my mother, whose name was Mary, asked me to write a card for her to her brother. We had a sign up at the time which said Merry Christmas so I figured that was how to spell Mary. When my uncle opened the card he said, "This is from Merry. Who is Merry?" I couldn't believe that he didn't even know his own sister's name! :)<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-38728395216374211542008-11-03T21:15:00.004-06:002008-11-03T21:26:47.922-06:00St. Charles Borromeo and JP II, Pray for Us!With the election tomorrow, many Catholics have been praying to Our Lady of Victory or the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States for intercession.<br /><br />Here are two more suggestions: First, Charles Borromeo, whose feast day, November 4th, happens to coincide with election day this year. Second, John Paul II, whose baptismal name was Karol, after Charles Borromeo. One saint's feast day and another's name day ought to be good enough reasons to bombard them with prayers, right? You betcha!<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-517672987605965442008-11-03T20:56:00.002-06:002008-11-03T21:12:25.315-06:00White Water Rafting<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/getaways/11/03/river.rafting/index.html">CNN has an article</a> on how river rafting creates family memories. One year a relative of my family who was a white water rafting guide offered to take us on the river for the day. All of us had a blast and we now occasionally have fun reminiscences of that day. I am not one to find enjoyment in athletic activities or even most outdoor activities, but I enjoyed it so much that I went rafting again each time the opportunity arose.<br /><br />I know that my husband would love to do this sort of rafting so I think it would be a fun vacation to do someday. I know it never will be possible with a house full of young children, but maybe someday we will all be able to do it. If the opportunity presents itself to YOU, dear reader, I strongly encourage you to take it.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1803998332752126245.post-85387555982712998542008-10-29T22:33:00.003-05:002008-10-29T22:48:07.122-05:00Okie-JokieI don't think either my husband nor I use the phrase "okie-dokie" but somehow Happy Boy has picked up on it. However instead he says, "okie-jokie." He has a great sense of humor, so maybe everything that he is okay with is just a big joke. It is cute to hear him say that and sometimes I even catch myself saying it to him because I occasionally like to talk his talk to him.<br /><br />I love how children will pick up on a word and it will infiltrate the parents talk. For a long time Happy Boy called ice cream "ompee". It was a bittersweet day recently when I realized that he now properly says "ice cream". However, my husband and I will still say "ompee" to each other because Happy Boy's pronunciation attached itself to our vocabulary. Maybe also because we like his cuteness and want to perpetuate it.<br /><br />Within the last week I realized that I love this age that Happy Boy is at. He talks in full sentences, we can mutually communicate with each other, he loves helping me, and yet he still has all the cuteness of a young child. I have always enjoyed each of his stages, but this one I am liking even more.<br /><br /><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54485/226/81E46E2CA4F568644A43FE9D6FEEC395.png" style="border: medium none ; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" />Hélènehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360313369946053170noreply@blogger.com0