Quick Takes Friday

A golden oldie :)
AL and Zak with their slurpees.
Jed and Manny clones.

1. It was sufficiently far enough above freezing this week to go to the park....twice!

2. Lesson learned this week; if you have a medical problem that you are pretty sure only a specialist can handle, see a specialist. Don't let your family dr. try to persuade you otherwise. :)
Dyl had a terrible ingrown toenail and we went to the family dr to see about it. My guess was he was going to refer us to a podiatrist, but apparently he thought he could handle it himself. And I believed him.
The result was horrifying. Nothing worse than watching your 18 yo son shaking with pain.
He asked us to come back in a week so he could finish the job, but we decided to find a podiatrist on our own.
The result; very little pain and problem solved in a 10 minute procedure. Ack!


3. I went to see "SlumDog Millionaire" this week. I don't often go see movies in the theater, but Al thought I would like it and suggested we go together. Believe you me, I don't ever turn down an offer for a date with one of my handsome boys. :) And I hit the jackpot! All three big boys went. But I digress.
It was a very well made movie. The ending was lovely, but you had to go through so much jarring reality to get to it, I'll admit I was a bit shellshocked by the time it was over.
Well, it truly was a movie that made you think, or more importantly reflect upon the lives of the great multitudes who live in third world countries ( I don't know that India can be *pristinely* considered a third world country anymore, although a lot of it's population does live in extreme poverty). We are often so sheltered from knowing about how they live and what they deal with on a regular basis. I certainly don't begrudge it's "Best Movie of the Year" award, no siree! I'm in agreement with that.....but maybe I could have dealt with it better by waiting to see it on Netflix. ;)

4. Lent. Not doing well, but better than the norm. I guess that is progress.

5. I somewhat bemoan the fact that there are too many pictures of Jed, Manny and Gabriella on this blog. Not because I don't think they are adorable subject matter ( what kind of mother would I be if I did not? ;) but because I DO HAVE OTHER children.
I can only blame it on Naomi. I don't take pictures. I get ridiculed if I do :).
So whatever she comes up with is what I use. Funny, Jackson and George don't make it to her" A" list very often. HA ha HA.

6. Under the list of things I can't do very well ( besides take pictures) no matter how hard I try:

1. See above.
2. make a pie crust. which is strange because my father is the master at pie crust ( and pie) making. So are my mother and grandmother. You'd think some of those genes might have rubbed off.
3. I can't cut hair worth a darn. I ALWAYS make a mess of it.
4. I don't sew very well, although I like to do it and try and try. It's especially bitter since I have two sil's who are experts here. ;)
5. figure out anything technical. my eyes just glaze over. I am lazy, but my children contribute to it since they are good at it and it's just easier to let them do it.

7. Thought for the week:

"All God wants is our heart. And he is more pleased when we value our uselessness and weakness out of love and reverence for his holy will, than when we do violence to ourselves and perform great works of penance. Now, you know that the peak of perfection lies in our wanting to be what God wishes us to be: so, having given you a delicate constitution, he expects you to take care of it and not demand of it what he himself, in his gentleness, does not ask for."

- (Letters of Spiritual Direction)

St Frances Jane Chantal

7.

Daybook Feb. 22, 2009

Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ February 22, 2009

Outside my window . . .Still dark, still cold. Lots more snow.

I am thinking . . .is it really fair, when you have waited 12 years for another little girl, that she insists on picking out her own clothes at age 2? Couldn't she have waited until she was 16??? ( or 30, for that matter? ; ) Doesn't she know her mother lives to dress her up in cute little outfits???

I am thankful for. . .Value Center Market, who gave Noah his first job :) and I really like to shop there, anyway. My new headquarters for good deals.

From the schoolroom. . . preparing for Lent....which is somehow starting this week! ACK!

From the kitchen . . . nothing too unusual here. The big kids have been out and about so much this week and everyone has had a stomach bug so I almost haven't had to cook. I did get really energetic Friday night and made two meals for the weekend, but we haven't even eaten the stew yet. ;0) What to have for our Mardi Gras celebration?

I am wearing . . .khaki sweats. brown t-shirt, cream hoodie

I am creating . . .more curtains. always curtains. :)

I am going . . .hoping to go see "Slum Dog Millionaire" with Al today. I wonder if it will be a madhouse due to the awards won? :)

I am reading and watching . . . Things I Have Kept Silent About. (Azar Nafisi) Almost done. I'm not completely sure I agree with her worldview, but a very compelling book on a number of levels. Excellent writer.

I watched "Fanny and Alexander" for the first time this weekend. I know it is a critically acclaimed movie. I do see why in some respects- in others-- I guess I am just not artsy enough to appreciate good filmwork ( cough, cough)

Here are some of the *themes* I get irritated with in so many movies ( this one included)

1. The religious person is always the bad guy.

2. Artsy, creative people are the heroines.

3. God cannot be trusted. He's capricious and the cause for all that is bad in the world, but the beauty and glory of life is due to nature, I guess ( never Him).

4. Men cannot possibly be faithful and monogamous, so why not embrace them giving into their lower natures?

It was lovely to revisit Scandinavia, always interested in that from our days in Sweden....

and I LOVED the decor. I like the modern- IKEA- Swedish look, too, but I like what I dub the "Carl Larsson" genre even better. Great use of colors and eclectic elements. Very busy. Just me. ;)

Naomi and I are working on the BBC series of "Pride and Prejudice" Colin Firth is a much better Mr. D'Arcy. ;)

I am hoping . . .Al gets his promotion. Interview today @ 10 am!

I am praying . . Ditto and Cassie's recovery this week. Coiling procedure went well, thanks be to God! Noah to do well at his new position.

I am hearing . . . just the furnace running.

Around the house. . . new kitchen curtains, that's about it.

One of my favorite things. . . Gabriella just started saying "I love you" on her own completely unprodded. Bliss. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . Ash Wednesday this week. How to explain lent to Jed? The kids at St Cyril are putting on "The Lion,Witch, Wardrobe" Saturday. Cotillion/Fat Tuesday on Tuesday :) Have to run to the highschool this morning to get Noah a work permit. Dyl has a dr appt. Thursday.

Here’s a picture I am sharing. .

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As always, don’t forget to pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. There is a silver lining to every cloud. If you want to lose some weight, having a stomach bug go through the house is one fine way to do it. :) Even if you are blessed not to have gotten a full blown case of it, you won't feel much like eating after cleaning up the messes and you won't have to cook much but the odd bowl of oatmeal. Not much temptation there.

2. For some reason, I didn't get any hormonal headaches this month. I've been plagued with them for about the past 6 months or so. The frustrating thing is I have no idea why?

3. Dyl's team lost yet another heartbreaking game to their arch rivals HAACH. They lost by one point after the ref didn't let them have a basket on a technicality. Once again they came from behind to close the gap ( and even go ahead) during the second half. OUCH! Maybe they can school them at the tournament. :)

4. Funny thing I saw this week on the web." www.oh crap my parents have a facebook" LOL!
(I don't, but Tim does, but even that doesn't stop some of my face-booking offspring from letting it all hang out. You know who you are.

5. Hmmm. Last Saturday I happened upon a strangely morbid show while I was ironing. It was one of those reality deals where they follow a medical examiner. What caught my interest was that it was the medical examiner for OUR county. I just couldn't get over our little burb ( where the office is located) being featured on a national tv network!
Of course, there were several shots of him practicing his trade. Gulp. One of his *patients* was a woman my age who had passed on from an undiagnosed heart problem. Double gulp. Good thing I've gotten on this healthy eating program. Sort of. (see #6) Gulp, gulp, gulp and more gulps. All I could focus on were her fabulously manicured and painted toenails ( for some reason they kept showing them, but thankfully NOT the rest of her during the procedure) and how mine are, well, in not so great shape.
I guess when your mom told you to wear- clean- underwear- in- case- you- get- in- an- accident kind of works here, too. If you want to look your best during an autopsy, keep those feet pretty .......even in the winter. Just in case.

6. Today at lunch Dylan told me he was getting full. ( He, Al, Tim and I went out :) I told him I was full about 10 minutes ago but kept on eating. Therein lies the problem. Why can't I just taste a few bites of good stuff and then stop? What possesses me ( and I know I'm not alone) to keep on eating it even when I KNOW and FEEL I've had enough?
Well, I suppose half the battle is identifying the problem. Onward and upward!

7. Under 5 products we couldn't live without
1. Most definitely Advil for all the headache sufferers.
2. Oxyclean
3. Spray and Wash
4. Eggs. One of the very few proteins J/M love.
5. This winter; Aquapor.

The natives are getting restless........

It seems about the end of February or so the kids progress from a "once a week" asking where their beloved Meemaw and Papa are to several times a day. I guess they start to realize they haven't seen them in awhile and where the heck are they, doggone it?

Manny "Can we go over meemaw and papa's?"
Me "Well, they're not home, they're down in Florida with Nanny."
Manny "Oh."

10 minutes later.

Manny " Can we go over meemaw and papa's?"

And on and on it goes. Thankfully, once we hit April the countdown can begin. :)

Today Jed added " Mom, can we borrow meemaw and papa's house?"

Me "Why would we need to do that?"

Jed "Well..........there's a lot of good stuff there. " :)

Timely words from Father Perrone

Why do we do the bad things we do?
The hard lessons of trial and error
sometimes lead one to reform his ways,
but not always. It can be frustrating to
the sinner to find himself prey to his own
seeming incapability to stop his sinful
conduct. From the standpoint of the
onlooker, it can be mighty tempting to
disdain a sinner. One can take a haughty
attitude towards and scold him or at least
revile him for his lapses and relapses.
There are some persons who have a duty
to reprimand: parents, for example,
judges, and priests, but even they must
remember to be compassionate. If even
only lately, I have come to have a more
sympathetic attitude towards sinners, not
in condoning sin, but in being more
disposed to be considerate of the
weaknesses and the felt helplessness that
sinners experience in the face of their
temptations. Making a mess out of one’s
life through sin weighs heavy on the soul
and they suffer greatly for it. All too
many fail to get the help needed to
rebuild their spiritual lives and fortify
themselves against future sins. God gets
the whole picture, of course, knowing
the sinner’s freedom to refuse, but also
the strength of temptation that lures him.
This is why God will judge with absolute
fairness in consideration of His
comprehensive knowledge.

ouch.
but thank you.

Father Eduard Perrone
Assumption Grotto Church, Detroit

Daybook Feb. 16, 2009

Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ February 16th, 2009

Outside my window . . .Still dark, but mild.

I am thinking . . .why do we have two different viruses going on here simultaneously? ;)

I am thankful for. . .my washing machine. :) And Jed is being such a sweetie this morning helping with the sick ones. Getting ice chips and pedialyte popcicles for them while I clean up messes and throw loads of laundry in.

From the schoolroom. . . focusing on President's this week in honor of President's day. Got the Ken Burn's Civil War video series for Noah to watch. He has to write a paper on some component of the civil war. I think this will give him lots of food for thought.

From the kitchen . . . moving right along with a healthier menu. A bit of a bump in the road with Valentine's Day, but you've got to have a little celebrating now and then. :)

I am wearing . . .khaki sweats. black t-shirt

I am creating . . .sort of finished the curtains. I don't know why, I am just not happy with how they are turning out but I don't seem to have the time to attend to them properly ( well- that "free-brain-space" kind of time I need :)

I am going . . .we WERE going to go to the Henry Ford Museum today,but that will have to be canceled.

I am reading . . . Things I Have Kept Silent About. (A. Nafisi) This is probably written by a very famous Iranian woman, but I've never heard of her. Her father was the mayor of Tehran at one point ( in the 60's?). Still, it is a fascinating view into a culture I know little to nothing about.

I am hoping . . . everyone gets better soon.

I am praying . . . Cassie's surgery this week.

I am hearing . . . the littles quietly chattering in their weakened state. :)

Around the house. . . I dusted behind my display plates in the dining room. Gee- a lot of spider web activity back there. :) You don't notice them until you stand on a step ladder and get a full view up there. I remember when I first put them up a comment from my step mil was "It's going to take a lot of work to dust all that! " :) Not if you only do it once a year! LOL! ;) Other than that, just the usual .

One of my favorite things. . . well, my mom called Saturday to say Zak and Mary made a suprise visit to them. It was good to hear and made me smile even though I wasn't there. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week. . . I have a class for Church on Wed. I know Dyl has at least one game this week ( maybe two at home). I'd love to go to his HAATCH game, maybe we can make the trip out to Howell. Dyl has a dr appt. Naomi has a bottle drive, there is a Swing Dance at church,...but the kids are off catechism this week.

Here’s a picture I am sharing. . .me, looking like a big green bean, riding my bike ( you know, it gets a little chilly when you're riding your bike, even if it is 50 + degrees. ;)

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As always, don’t forget to pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

It's February!

Time for an annual visit from our oldest ( but not dearest) friend.....

the stomach flu.

3 down. 8 to go.


Another reason why I don't like warm days in February. They always seem to resurrect frozen germs.