Positive

My blood test for fifth disease came back as positive, so they are going to keep an eye on the baby for the next 4 -6 weeks to make sure that nothing goes wrong. I am feeling better now, although I am starting to reach that stage where I am getting REALLY tired. Looking forward to that burst of energy that I usually get during the second trimester! :)

They moved my due date from December 3 to November 22 based on my ultrasound measurements. I highly dispute this since I know exactly when my LMP was because I was on the pill. But just try to tell a doctor that you actually know something.......... It's a losing battle. Sigh.

Well, I have to get some housework done. Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Not Feeling Well

I am not feeling very well today. And I didn't feel so hot yesterday either. I have been exposed to Fifth Disease at school, so I am really hoping that I am just feeling preggy (although I have never felt preggy until late in the second trimeseter before, but each pregnancy is different) and not coming down with fifth disease. Maybe it's just a little cold or something. But anyway, I am off to rest now.

I finally got some more planting done!!

It has been a challenging year in the garden. Too wet, too cold, always just "too something" for me to be able to get out there and plant. I even took a bit of a risk this year with popping my tomato plants out there so soon. But what can I say ~ I'm just a crazy risk taker in the garden. Sometimes you just have to be. ;)

Did you know that cats munching on your seedlings really don't do them a bit of good? Yeah, I found that out this year. I already knew that, but sometimes it seems like I have to find out the hard way just to make sure that I never forget. This was the first year that my cats really messed with the little bitty seedlings. I usually just left them in my big, sunny bay window and never had to worry about them until they got so big that the temptation was just too much for the kitties. This year, it seems that they acquired a taste for baby salad greens. I came home from work one horrible day to find dirt and half eaten seedling so carelessly strew about. It was an all-they-could-eat salad bar. I almost cried. So I tried to replant them and I did manage to save 3 Big Tom tomato plants, 1 Tiny Tim tomato plant, 3 jalapeno, 2 green pepper, and 1 broccoli. My cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, and most broccoli were completely destroyed. I put the survivors in new peat pots and hid them in the not so ideal location of our my DD's play room. The natural light in there is horrible, but I put a grow light in there and prayed for the best. And the plants grew. So did some MOLD on the side of my peat pots. Little white fluffy stuff. This has never happened to me before!! Apparently, there was just not enough air circulation in there for growing plants. So, I tried to ride it out for as long as I could. I scraped the pots off, tried to keep them dry, and prayed. Yesterday was the end of the line. I had to stick my poor plats in the ground before the mold got to the plants and the roots system. So yesterday was planting day!

Here's what is in the ground now:
3 Big Tom tomato plants
1 Tiny Tim tomato plant
1 Roma tomato plant (Yep, had to buy that one. Sigh.)
1 really pathetic looking broccoli plant (Thanks, kitties)
Broccoli seeds (and prayers)
1 really really pathetic looking cauliflower plant (Thanks again, kitties)
Cauliflower seeds (and prayers)
Carrot seeds
Peas (Already growing GREAT!!!)
Lettuce seeds - Cos and Mesclin mix
Spinach Seeds
Green onions
White onions

I have to plant:
MORE MORE MORE carrots
more Broccoli and Cauliflower (I gave up and am going to buy some plants. Sigh.)
More onions
Maybe another cherry or grape tom plant
herbs - cilantro and basil
Green and jalapeno pepper plants
cucumbers

Here's a garden tip for you if you don't already know this one: Pepper plant like warm weather, so try not to plant them until your night temperatures are above 55 consistently. For zone 5A like I am, this usually means after Mother's Day through late May is ideal planting time for pepper plants. But the key is the NIGHT TEMP. Too cold and your plant leaves will turn yellow and die. If you are container gardening, you can plant them in your big containers but be sure to bring them in at night until your night temps are high enough.

Organic garden tip: Plants onions around your cucumbers to keep cucumber beetles (aka squash borer beetles, those yellow and black striped beetles) away. We have tons of those little guys in our area. I do this every year and I have never had a problem. They hate onions! You can even do this in a container.

Happy Gardening!!

Things that make you go hmmmm.......

Ok, I am again going into territory where I gave up venturing into before, but I thought that this was an honest question that I left over at Keeping the Home blog. She said in her post that reading the KJV Bible has been shown to increase one's intelligence. Really, if you are going to make such a sweeping claim you should at least be able to back it up.

According to Candy: (Reason #7 why she loves the KJV)
"7) Reading the KJV has been shown to improve the IQs for many people. My IQ literally shot up 20 points after the first time I read the KJV, and I was then invited to join Mensa."

And my question to her was:
Although I absolutely love to hear and read the KJV, I curious about your sources for the claim that it increases your IQ. Do you have any references for that other than personal testimony? It is indeed a beautiful version of the bible, but I am a bit confused by this claim especially since you have it listed as a 5.5 grade reading level. I have read the KJV for years, but I do not think that it alone was responsible for any increases in my IQ score. Just curious....

Thanks, and have a great weekend! :)

I guess that I don't deserve an answer.

And another thing..........

about the business of having babies. I have always kinda let this one go because it is such a personal and emotionally charged issue, but we seem to have a divide between those of us who are able to have a "natural birth" and find it "empowering" and those of us who want or need to deliver either regularly or via c-section in a hospital setting.

I am one of those who delivered in a hospital. I have delivered both ways, vaginal and c-section. Now I am going to take a huge amount of slack for this one, but for me personally the c-section experience won HANDS DOWN. And I don't just mean during delivery. I mean all of the after effects as well. I can tell you, and I am going to be frank here, marital relations with my hubby was much better much sooner after my c-section. I also retained full bladder control after my c-section, which absolutely did not happen when I delivered my first daughter "normally". I suffered horrible bladder and bowel control issues after my "normal" delivery. (Sorry if that was TMI) That experience, even though my first baby came out the "right way", was not very empowering to me. Let's face it, having to cross your legs every time you laugh, cough, or sneeze just so that you don't wet your pants or having to wear a poise pad everyday to catch the leaks just isn't "empowering". It's embarrassing. :(

I could drone on and on about this, but I really have a simple point. My c-section worked best for me. I am sure that there are ladies who had a wonderful normal delivery in the hospital while using pain medication and that's what worked for them. I am also sure that there are women who had great birth experiences in free standing birth centers or at home, pain medication free and surrounded by family. My method of delivery was not what "empowered" me as a wife and mother, though. It was my new baby, my husband, God, and my own sense of self that empowered me. It was NOT the delivery. I don't consider myself any less of a woman and mother just because of how my babies were born. And no one should really feel any more or any less "empowered" simply because of how they delivered their baby. The method of delivery is only a way of getting the baby out. That's all, and nothing else. We can't let our personal childbirth experiences define us as mothers and women because every single woman's body has different needs.

I'm just sayin'......

My peas are popping up.....

and my belly is popping out. ;) I am officially 9 weeks along now. And may I just rant for a moment? Good, because I am going to anyway.

I will be 35 years and 2.5 months old when this baby is born. Obviously, it was conceived while I was still 34. As most ladies know, 35 has been decided to be the "magic number" of your childbearing years.Apparently it doesn't matter that my baby will be mostly busy gaining weight during those 2.5 months that I am 35. Because I am going to be 35 when the baby is BORN I must have every single invasive prenatal test ever invented or else I am a bad mother. I am 34 going on 35, but I refuse to believe that I am automatically broken and in need of extreme medical intervention just because I have the apparent misfortune of turning 35 before I give birth. Sheesh!!! My husband kind of thinks that this is quite funny. He keeps saying "Well, you are getting old hon." Wink, wink, nod, nod. But he isn't the one that they want to run a cvs test and an amniocentesis on along with an ultrasound in every trimester. I have an autoimmune disease, but it was never an issue in previous pregnancies. They almost didn't seem to care when my blood pressure shot up and I swelled up like a water balloon. The baby was fine even though I wasn't, so everything was going to be ok. I specifically asked if these tests were related to my previous pregnancy complications. They said "NOPE". It's because of MY AGE!(!!??!!) What the heck! That makes no sense to me! I have plenty of relatives who delivered normal, healthy babies after age 35. We have NO HISTORY of birth defects in my family or in my husband's family. NO history whatsoever!! I am apparently incapable of producing a baby without birth defects just because I am past my expiration date. UGH!!! It just makes me so mad. And I have really been treated quite badly in the dr's office over this. They try to make me feel guilty for not submitting to all of their tests. But really it just makes me feel like they are using my age as an excuse to jack up my delivery charges ("High Risk with Advanced Maternal Age") and make as much money from the tests as possible just because I have good insurance that will blindly pay for all of their goofy tests because I fit the "profile". (And we wonder why our health care costs so much in this country. But that is a whole other topic...)

And no, we wouldn't abort anyway even if I took the tests and they came back as having a birth defect as a possibility. So what's the point of all the tests?

I understand that my Hashimoto's disease makes me higher risk. I understand that I am high risk because I only deliver by c-section. What I don't understand is why the BIG HUGE emergency is not those risk factors but the fact that I am going to be 35 for only 2.5 months before I deliver. It just makes no sense to me!!

Ok, I am done ranting now. Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better already.

And here is my new battle cry: "Old mothers of the world, UNITE!!" ;) Let's fight the power and tell them that we are only old, not old and broken too.

I feel like a carton full of eggs that are past their expiration date........

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh how I wish that I was this eloquent!

Some times the right words escape me. I just can't seem to write what I mean to say, especially when it come to calmly and graciously making a point when someone is misrepresenting the Catholic faith. This commenter on the Keeping the Home blog said in so many fewer words what I tried so very hard to do in my rambling comment that I posted a few days ago. (I'd give you a link to the exact post on that blog, but the blogger does not allow access to her archives.)

Anyway, I really wish that I was able to write like this:

Hi Candy!

I've started perusing your blog recently; I really like the post about CHOOSING not to have a bad attitude on "those days". That was great.

I just wanted to say, in regards to your post about Mary, a really good book to explain the Catholic position on Mary is called "Hail, Holy Queen", by Scott Hahn. It is a quick easy read; if you are into apologetics, it is always good to understand where the other side is coming from, right? I think you'll like it, and gain a new perspective on those of us who are your brothers and sisters in Christ and practice Catholicism.

Thanks for the blog,
Shannon in Dallas

Rethinking the Victory Garden

There was a time, long before I was born, where Americans were actually encouraged to be self-reliant. I'm sure that everyone has heard of the "Victory Garden" effort of WWII. America was at war (sound familiar?), food was being rationed (starting to sound familiar?), and food costs and supplies needed to be kept in check to help support the war effort. America planted with ZEAL and Victory Gardens at one point provided up to 40 percent of the civilian food supply. The "Victory Garden" meant victory for America. I would like to suggest that we rethink the idea of a Victory Garden as a victory for your family and for our society in general. I have no doubt that there will soon be a uproar over the recent rationing of some foods in America. People will want the government to "do something" about the soaring food prices and global food shortages. I agree that the recent headlines are upsetting, and I hope that something will change in the near future so that prices and supplies return to normal levels (but goodness I hope that the government doesn't get TOO involved!). Until then, I am going to expand my Victory Garden and plan to win the war against ever climbing food prices.

If you would like to join me, you may have to *rethink* some of your perceptions:

Rethink your fear of time. Yes, a garden will take some time to plan, plant, maintain, and harvest. But you will be repaid in so many other ways and you will be doing something good for your family, the earth, and the economy.

Rethink your fear of work. A garden can require a bit of brow sweat, but how many of us take time each week to "workout" to burn calories. I KNOW that I used up alot of calories double digging my garden last weekend, and I will actually have something to show for it at the end of the gardening season besides a better figure. ;)

Rethink your fear of a lack of space. You can grow a lot of food in a container. You can grow herbs next to flowers. You can grow a LARGE amount of food from a small patch of dirt in the ground. Pick up the book "Square Foot Gardening" to help you get started.

Rethink your fear of the cost to get a garden started. Do you have a shovel and a spade? That's what you need to get started. If not, you can pick them up for a relatively cheap price. Buy the best that you can afford so that they will last. Use the spade to cut and remove your sod. Use the shovel to double dig and break up clumps. Add topsoil ($0.99 a bag on sale in my area) and some peat moss for an instant soil boost. Use a rake to spread and level. Use hand tools to plant. You can find inexpensive vegetable plants at your local garden center if you haven't started from seed. You DON'T have to have the latest garden tools or the newest tiller in order to have a successful garden. I don't even own a tiller. IMHO, it kills to many earthworms in my small garden so I always double dig. Gardening can and should be frugal!

Here is an interesting link in case you would like to read more:
Revive the Victory Garden!

I am off to bed now. Have a great night!

Yet another reason to get gardening!

Candy over at Keeping the Home does have a good article up today about food storage. (We won't talk about the anti-Christian? post below it right now). I am eternally grateful for my humble garden. It has provided my family with a vast amount of fresh and healthy vegetables during all four seasons. I have to take a moment here to encourage all of you to consider giving vegetable gardening a try. Food prices are going up, up, up but seed prices have stayed relatively consistent. (We'll see how long that lasts, though.)

I am in the process of planting and expanding my garden. I'd like to use this post to allow any of you to ask any questions that you have about vegetable gardening. I will post them and answer them to the best of my ability. We have more reasons than ever to try to be a little bit more self-sufficient. My garden is in a small space in a suburban backyard, but I know of people who have container vegetable gardens in the city and folks who have half acre gardens. You can try it wherever you live! Here is to NOT being complete slaves to rising food prices any longer!! FREEEEDOM!! ;)

I know better than this......

but I am going to do it anyway. I have been shying away from posting rebuttals to anti-Catholicism on my blog, but I am going to go ahead and post my comment to the poorly researched article that Candy at Keeping the Home has posted because I am pretty sure that my comment will not make the cut. Please forgive me. Just out of curiosity, has anyone else submitted a comment to this "Anti-Christianity?" article that has not been published? I am waiting to see if she posts mine, but I doubt it. If you have left a comment over there that has not been posted, feel free to post it here in my comment section. It will be fun to see how many comments are actually left that never get posted on her blog (***WARNING*** if you are commenting against Catholicism, MEAN, NASTY, OR FALSE COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED. Play nice and don't attack me or other commentors personally. No "Jack Chick" or "Jesus is Lord" allowed. Statements must be back up with real facts, not made up ones.)

Well, here goes:

"Shannon said in an earlier comment that she has a theory. She thinks that we Catholics (paraphrasing here) know in our hearts that the Catholic Church is wrong and so we lash out as a cry for help. I have never read any hateful comments or snarkiness in comments that Catholics have left here. I do read comments from Catholics who know their faith, love it, and are upset that it has been misrepresented by this blog over and over and over again. It is difficult to read lies and not want to correct them. Although I cannot speak for all Catholics who read this blog and comment, I know that that is why *I* submit comments. I want to defend my faith from the lies that are spread here on this website. (I also want to address Rebecca's statement about the Lutheran Church and infant baptism, but that would make this comment way too long. But I grew up in the Lutheran Church and I hate to see it misrepresented as well.) Please stop for just a moment and think about that and ask yourself how YOU would feel if I said that any of you are not really Christians, etc. You would want the opportunity to explain what your faith is really about too, wouldn't you?

I do have to echo the kind thoughts of Susan in her comment above. Thank you for your concern for my soul, but I know the truth and that is why I too will continue to be Roman Catholic.

Have a blessed day!"

In the garden, at last!

We has such a glorious weekend here! Temps in the 70s with sunny skies and gentle breezes. A perfect weekend for finally getting my garden started. On Sunday, I double dug the garden. It seemed like a much larger garden this year, but I am sure that had something to do with the fact that I was digging while pregnant. It became painfully abvious to me that it is going to take me a little longer to garden this year than in years past, so I have to be sure to pace myself on digging, weeding, etc. But that's ok. It'll all come together.

Yesterday I put up my pea fence and planted my peas, carrots, and some onions. Today I am going to plant more onions, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. I am so excited! I am waiting until after Mother's Day to put in my tomatoes and peppers. All danger of frost will be gone by then. I am doing lots of herbs in containers this year. The reason for that is ease of care and increased space in my garden so that I can step up my yeild. I made it to April without buying any vegetables other than corn, brussel sprouts, and asparagus (none of which I grow, although maybe someday). I am hoping to make it to spring harvest next year, so it will require hard work, dedication, careful planning, and lots of luck. ;)

Well, I must go finish my spring planting. Have a great day!!!

Earthquake?!?

It figures. The one time that something kinda scary and unusual happens in our area and I sleep right through it. Apparently a minor earthquake ripped through our area. It happened about 5:00 AM. People called the local radio station saying that they felt their house shaking. Not me. I was sound asleep.

Early Morning MidWest Earthquake

Still here.......

Just pregnant. And busy. I am REALLY trying to cut back on my commitments at my kiddos school right now, so I am tying up some loose ends and saying the word "NO" alot more. I really have to prepare for this baby. I am a Hashimoto's Disease patient with hypothyroidism. I know that I am going to get REALLY tired very soon, so I want to have as much done in advance as I can. I am kind of lucky in way. I always seem to enjoy a healthy 1st and 2nd trimester, while all of my friends suffered with morning sickness and 1st trimester blahs. I hardly even feel pregnant. It's the third trimester that gets me every time. And it hits me hard! Pre-Eclampsia, high blood pressure, severe edema, bed rest on my left side. The doctor has told me that although there is always the possibility that I can have a picture perfect pregnancy this time, the reality is that I am probably facing more of the same pregnancy complications that I had with my other two. Oh joy! So, time is of the essence. I have to have everything ready by September, just in case. I know that I sound crazy and that I should trust in the Lord to take care of me, but I think that in this case the Lord is giving me the push that I need to make sure that my family is prepared to weather the upcoming storm. Yes, I say a prayer everyday that things will be perfect and easy. But I say that prayer as I hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Maybe it comes from hearing "God helps those who help themselves" all the time in my youth. ;) And in case I really don't struggle this time when I hit that home stretch, I can just kick up my swollen feet and relax a little. :)

But just in case you are wondering: Yes, I am still going to have my garden. I have never gardened while pregnant before. I had tomato plants and herbs, but that's it. So it should be an adventure. "How to garden while pregnant"....I see a blog series in that somewhere. LOL! I think that I am going to do some more container gardening this year than I have the past few years. I have always wanted to try a variety of carrot called "Thumbelina" that does very well in containers, so this may be the year. I also may have some extra mesclun lettuce in containers. It looks so pretty and you can keep snipping it for salads and watch it grow and grow! More fresh herbs in containers are also on list growing list this year. I am very behind on my gardening this year, for a variety of reasons. But the great thing about gardening is that something will always grow, even if you think that you are too far behind.

Have a great weekend everyone! I am off to clean frantically. ;)

We now interrupt this blog for a very important announcement.....

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Sometimes you just have to trust that God knows what is best. Sometimes the unexpected things in life are the best things that happen to you. Keeping all that in mind, it is with great shock that I announce that I am pregnant. Yep. Pregnant. Nope, it wasn't planned. Yep, I'm feeling fine. The due date appears to be around December 3, but that may change after I see the doctor. Wow. I'm still in shock. It is a happy shock, but shock just the same.

At least SOMETHING is growing for me. My Cats have eaten most of my precious seedlings, forcing me to nurse them back to health and grow more. I am behind on my garden. It has been a wet spring, so I haven't even turned the soil yet.

It's been a crazy year, folks. And it's about to get crazier. But that's what life is all about I guess. Sometimes hanging on by the seat of your pants is what reminds you that you are ALIVE and life is all around you. So, here we go. Wish me luck. :)

My Kind Of Town

I shamelessly admit that I have lived within driving distance of Chicago for my whole entire life. And I LOVE it! Granted, I probably love it so much because I don't actually have to live in the city but I still love it.

Today we took the girls to the American Girl Doll Store in downtown Chicago, otherwise known as "The Money Trap". But my girls had such a wonderful time. We got their doll's hair done in the salon (at $20.00 per doll!! Grandma thought that this was a wonderful idea but I wasn't really convinced, so she paid because I said "No".) Just FYI, if you ever go to the store to have your doll's hair done, we waited 2 hours for this. Prepare to wait. We heard from one Mom in line that they waited five hours one time just to have the dolls hair done. CRAZY!! We dropped our dolls off, went to have lunch, stopped at the Hershey store, and then picked up the dolls.

We ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in Watertower Place. As a die hard Chicago area native, I am a pizza purist. I like mine either extra thin and crispy or Chicago Style deep dish with only the traditional toppings (but no pepperoni for me, please). New York and L.A. style is just a Chicago code word for "Bad Pizza". ;) It felt like a crime against Chicago to walk into that restaurant instead of a place like Giordano's or Gino's East. I mean, if you are going to do a tourist pizza at least stick with the Chicago icons. I was dubious at best, but my kiddos wanted to eat at CPK so that is where we went. I ordered the Carne Asada pizza and I have got to tell you that it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I mean it was really really really really good. Good as in "I ate the whole entire pizza until my stomach hurt because I just couldn't stop eating it" good. I will be craving that pizza for quite some time. I am a convert, although I will never admit that to my fellow Chicago Pizza loving friends.

Our next stop, which we walked to very slowly while I was nursing my bulging and aching belly, was the Hershey Store. We've been there before, but I never fail to be amazed at all of the delicious chocolaty things all in one place. We hit the bakery shop where you can get chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and truffles all made with Hershey's Chocolate. I took my Mint Chocolate brownie to go because there was no way that I was going to fit another bite of anything, no matter how delicious and chocolaty, into my painfully full tummy. I know that it will be sinfully delicious when my belly finally recovers enough for me to be able to eat it.

Then it was back to the American Girl Doll Store to pick up our beloved dolls. I have never seen so many little girls walking around clutching dolls as I have seen in that store and all over the streets around that store. We started out the day saying to the girls while we were walking to the store "Oh look, she must be going to the American Girl Store". But it literally seemed like we were saying that about EVERY single little girl that was walking around that area of Chicago, so we gave up. Words cannot express how crowded that store was. I thought that it was bad when we got there at 11:00, but it was even worse after lunch. I was kind of happy to leave that craziness.

We drove home after that, with a few minor family related stops along the way. I am now completely exhausted and ready for bed. But the girls got to enjoy a day of Chicago tourism and I had a great time. I can hardly wait for the next time that we go, because there will definitely be a next time.

Have a great night!

The Famous Catch-Up Post

I think that all of us who blog have been here before. You know, the "Where am I and what have been doing" post. So, here's mine to try to make up for my lack of posting in recent weeks. :)

Let's start from the present and go backwards, just for a change of pace. I became an official Catholic at the Easter Vigil last Saturday. It was a wonderful, beautiful, and oddly fun but very long service. I really had planned to do a profound post on why I chose this path, but that may have to wait a bit before I have time to do it.

My kiddos are on Easter Break. YAY!!! It feels so good to just stay home and get stuff done. I am trying to cram in a TON of spring cleaning, a journey to the bottom of Mt. Washmore, a trip to downtown Chicago (just for fun, cuz you can't be all work and no play), and some serious gardening chores before we have to return to the daily grind on Monday. Wish me luck. The days go by much too quickly.

We ended up having the Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner and Late Nite Catechism show. I won't lie, we lost money but we had a GREAT time and we got rave reviews for the food and the entertainment that we had lined up. Our Priest decided that we just shouldn't let a few loud people break our spirit. So, we came together as a parish and enjoyed some food, fun, and fellowship. It was more like a huge St. Patty's day party than a fundraiser, but that's ok when you look at the big picture. Folks who atteneded were blown away by the spirit of the event and many of those who didn't come expressed their regret to me for not being there. The stage is set for next year so that it can be bigger, better, and maybe have a great crowd show up! The Bishop of our diocese, who is very aware of the events that have been brewing at our parish, was so impressed with our efforts to bring people together in a positive atmosphere despite the turmoil that he wrote our Priest a letter praising the event.

My seedlings are coming along just fine. I hope that I will be able to get out into the garden soon, but my soil is just too wet right now. I risk compacting my soil if I work it too soon.

Anyway, that is all the time that I have left for this post. Hope that everyone had a great Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As far as I know, I am exactly 0% Irish. (German, Dutch, English, and Native American is what my pedigree reads. I am a mutt.) But My hubby has some strong Irish roots in his family tree, my youngest DD has one of the most Irish of first names, I do cook a mean corned beef roast, and I make boxty to die for. So I guess that I can post this little quiz in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

What Your Shamrock Says About You

You are a high achiever. Success comes fairly easy for you. At times, you can be slow to act. You don't like to be outside your comfort zone. You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck. You are stylish, in a classic sort of way. You are particular about how you like things.

The Shamrock Personality Test

Forgive and Forget

There was a very heated school board meeting last night. If there were ever a reason for me to consider homeschooling, the actions of some people who were attending last night's meeting would rank really high. The head of the athletic board raked our poor priest over the coals. Father didn't deserve it at all, but he took blow after blow with a humbleness and kindness that will be legendary someday. He even shook the hand of the man that accused him of so many things after the meeting. He is a true Vicar of Christ.

Change is hard. Our parish has gone through some shocking changes over the last 2 or 3 years that would be hard for any group of people to process: the sudden and shocking death of two veteran and well-loved faculty members from cancer, the retirement of the Priest that had been with our parish since 1993 and the arrival of our new Priest who has new and different ideas of what we should be as a parish, a beloved teacher leaving because of the birth of her first child, the Principal announcing his retirement, a new Bishop for our Diocese and the many shocking changes and budget cuts that often come along with a new Bishop. The list goes on. People are hurt and confused. So we are lashing out at each other instead of figuring out how to move on together in a new direction. You could just see the pain in the room last night. Change is HARD, but it is a fact of life. It is my hope that last night helped people begin to release some of the hurt and resentment that they were holding inside. I really want to be hurt and angry over everything that has happened over the last few months. But I know in my heart that most people were just running on pure emotion rather than logic. When you are hurt, the knee-jerk reaction is to lash out. I understand this; I spent 5 years in college majoring in psychology. It's just hard to be on the receiving end of all that lashing.

The only hope that we have as a school and church is to forgive and forget and move on from this sad and horrible place that we are at. I can't control what other people do, but I can make the decision to forgive and grow myself. So that is what I am going to do starting right now.

Have a great day everyone!

Cancelled

It looks like we are going to cancel the Late Nite Catechism 2 show because of lack of interest. Although it does hurt my heart, I know that I did everything that I could to sell tickets and it was just out of my hands.

Hear that? That's me getting ready to breathe a big sigh of relief. Although canceling the show gives those who were boycotting it the smug satisfaction of knowing that they, in fact, were able to destroy it I also have the smug satisfaction of not having to deal with those folks who were trying to ruin it anymore. I guess sometimes you just have to cut your losses. Lesson learned.

Have a great day, everyone. I am off to clean my house.

Little Miss Sunshine

Although I am a bit late, I am going to add "complaining about my current state of fundraiser affairs" to the list of things that I am giving up for Lent. But please, dear readers, forgive me if I stumble on that one because this truly feels like my only outlet right now.

I have come up with a new publicity scheme. I sent two tickets over to the local AM radio station for them to give away as a freebie in the hopes that it will drum up some publicity. Desperate times, my friends. Desperate times.

What is not so desperate is my windowsill garden. I am very pleased to report that my cheating heart has produced some very lovely seedlings. I have some lovely broccoli sprouts, some cauliflower, spinach, cos lettuce, and my tomatoes and jalapenos are just starting to break the surface. I know that I will probably have to re pot the tomatoes and jalapenos before I finally get to plant those outside. As a general rule, I never plant my toms and peppers before Mother's Day. It's just to risky in my area.

Are you thinking about your garden right now like I am? I just can't wait to get out there and get my hands dirty. Just remember, don't begin to prepare your soil (for in ground gardens, not containers) until it had dried a bit. If you till or dig while your soil is still too wet, it will dry into nasty clumps that you will spend hours trying to break up. Trust me, it is not fun. This year looks like it might be a bit of a late start for me outside because we have had so much snow that we may have to go through quite a spring thaw. I have to wait a few weeks to see how the weather goes, but I have mentally prepared myself in case I have to wait extra long this year. But I have the worst case of Spring Fever that I have ever had before!

Well, I must go mix my meatloaf. Yum! LOL! I needed a quick dinner idea. My lunchroom shift ran late today so I didn't make it to the grocery store. Oh well, at least it is food.

Have a great night!