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Favorite Prayers Meme

Grandma K. over at A Bit of the Blarney tagged me last week  for the Catholic Prayer Meme.   This is a great thought-provoking meme.  Here are the guidelines:

"Name your three most favorite prayers, and explain why they're your favorites. Then tag five bloggers - give them a link, and then go and tell them they have been tagged. Finally, tell the person who tagged you that you've completed the meme... The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. I'm more interested in people's favorite devotional prayers."


 
  There are so many prayers that come to mind, I don't know where to start or how to narrow my favorites down to three...  The Mass and the rosary come first as the greatest prayers, of course, but I think that's assumed by most Catholics...  So many others to choose from, though... from my daily repertoire and from those that we use occasionally, when we want to call in the "big guns."  It's hard to come up with just three!   But, after some thought, this is what I decided on:
 
1. I love the Prayer of St. Francis. 

Such a beautiful lyrical prayer, like you'd expect from St. Francis (my Confirmation saint), but also solidly practical.  It's a three-parter.  The first part tells me what I must be: an instrument of God's peace -- a necessary thing in any vocation, but an especially important thing for a mother.   What do I need most to do in my home every day?  Sow love, get injuries pardoned, grow in and impart faith and hope.  With God's help.  

Then the second part of the prayer tells me what I must not be: a needy, self-centered whiner.  There are people out there who don't need this reminder, but unfortunately, I'm one of the ones that needs the constant poking -- and the alternative suggestions:  console, understand, love.

The third part of the prayer is the payoff: ...for it is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Such a gentle, but firm hand on the shoulder, this prayer.  Go this way, Lisa.  Do this.  Don't do this.  And this is why. 

My favorite prayer. 

2.  My second choice I'm cheating on.  I have two prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas that we've depended on through the years.  First, The Student's Prayer: Grant me, I beseech Thee, most merciful God, prudently to study, rightly to understand, and perfectly to fulfill that which is pleasing to Thee, in the praise and glory of Thy Name. Amen.* * * * * *  We've prayed this prayer to start every home school day for seventeen years or so.  It is straight-forward, simple, and says it all, not only for the student, but for all of us, I think.  

The second St. Thomas prayer that we love and use often is similar -- The Prayer to Know God's Will: Grant me grace, O merciful God, to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee, to examine it prudently, to acknowledge it truthfully, and to accomplish it perfectly for the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen * * * * * *  I'm not exactly sure why this works, but we've always used this one when making decisions about car buying.  We think St. Thomas would have been a good mechanic, happily puttering around with motors while pondering the mysteries of the universe.  But, aside from its use for automotive endeavors, this is a short, easy prayer for a teenager seeking God's will for a vocation; for a family making decisions about its children's education;  for counsel on moving to a different home...  You name it.  We use it often.

St. Thomas rocks.

3. The third prayer that comes to mind is actually a novena -- a new one to us and a long one that is a little difficult to get all the way through, but so very worth it.  The Novena To St. Joseph.  We prayed this novena right before we put our house up for sale and St. Joseph definitely came through  for us.  But that's not why I choose this novena as my third favorite.  It was through this prayer that I found a greater love and understanding of the wonder and importance of St. Joseph than I ever had.  In the words of this novena, which change with each of the nine days, you walk through the life of this greatest of saints and learn the power of his virtues in a deep way.  We always loved St. Joseph, but after saying this novena, we honor and love him more than ever.  St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, pray for us!

* Now, I'd like to tag the following friends to see what their favorite three prayers are:

1. Sarah
2. Ann
3. Kim
4. Charlotte
5. My daughter, Theresa

Random Dozen

So, in an odd moment of idleness (Yes, they do occasionally happen...), as I boogie-boarded through the internet waves (because I'm too graceless to surf...), I found myself bobbing alongside a blog called Second Cup of Coffee.  If you know me at all, you know that caught my attention!  And, no surprise, it's a keeper-blog, very charming, tons of fun, and with a special bonus of being the hostess-blog of a really cool, super-uper weekly meme thing ("Super-uper" is William's personal favorite qualifier, in case you wondered. We all say it now, of course...).

 Anyway, here's the fun: The blog owner, Linda, presents a dozen random questions every week that participators get to answer and share on Mr. Linky!  How much fun is that?  If you want to play, run over today!

Here are this week's questions:

1. It's early morning, about 2:00 AM, and you're driving home. You come to a red light and sit there. There is no one in sight for miles around. Do you wait it out or run the light?

I sit there.  I know God is watching.  It's true; He is.  And though I've known this from the earliest days at my mother's knee, an incident in my adult life permanently impressed the very words of this warning into my brain...

 We used to have a little handpainted sign that said: God is watching, so put on a good show.  Because we inherited it from someone we cared for who had passed away, we couldn't bring ourselves to get rid of it, gaudy as it was (it was painted white and aquamarine!), so through the years it floated around the house, showing up in odd corners, hung  behind doors and such.  Then the kids grew up to be teenagers, and one day the little sign mysteriously appeared in the water closet (You know: the loo, the john, the head, the bathroom)... We decided forthwith it was time to retire the little sign to a bin in the barn.  The lesson has always stuck with me.  (Which lesson, you ask?  Well, all of them, of course...)


2. If you had the chance to re-do the last 24 hours, would you change anything?
I would stop at one bowl of popcorn.

3. When you reply to someone's comment on your blog, do you reply in your comments or go to her blog and comment? (Or email her)
I've been pressed for time lately, so feel horrible that I often do not get back to my commentors.  (I know.  It's awful.  My mother did teach me better...) I always mean to reply, really I do, but, you know.... Things pile up, the comment slips to the bottom of my e-mail page, then before you know it, it's in the middle of the third page of my inbox....  and so much time has lapsed, that to reply would point out how very not-on-top-of-it I am.  =sigh=  And we all know it's true, but we don't need to point it out, right?

But, when I do reply, I either reply back in my own combox or e-mail the commentor personally, depending on the situation, and whether or not the reply would be pertinent to other visitors to the combox.  (Nobody's ever going to comment now, though...)

4. Your favorite Disney movie is:
Dumbo.  For the song.  You know the song?



5. Do you recycle?
Yes, personally, right here on our property.  We don't buy most of the things that are usually recycled, but if it can have a second life, we'll usually resurrect it right here at the farm.  Newspapers are used to light our wood stove and protect our dining room table from paint and glue; any glass jars we save for storage, vases, or crafts; we buy very few convenience foods or drinks, so we have very little in the way of plastic containers....  And practically no article of clothing, furniture, or other miscellaneous geegaw is bought new or not passed down, and every scrap of food we don't eat goes to the dogs, chickens, goats, or compost pile.

Just prudence and economy for a big family...  We'd gag to be called "green."

6. Games of strategy or games of chance?
Chance.  I'm totally a right brain kinda gal.

7. Do you have any recurring dreams?
Yes, I have the same recurring dream that my husband has, believe it or not.  We both dream we are wanderingthrough a gigantic house.  Room opens upon room after room, and secret stairways and hatches lead to more rooms still.  But it's a nice house, nothing like the Winchester Mansion, where everything's nonsensical and strange. We're filled with delight as we explore the endless square footage.   There are too many closets to count, a kazillion bathrooms, and endless grounds with beautiful, manicured lawns.  I'm pretty sure there are usually gardeners and housekeepers darting about the fringes, too. =le-sigh= It's ever so lovely.  Dan and I finish each other's sentences when we talk about this dream.  I'm sure there's some deep meaning to it...

  Or else we've just been cramming too many people into too small a house for too long.  (I expect that's it.)

8. What did you learn from your first real job?
My first real job was working as an aide in a Daycare Center -- and I learned, more than anything, that I would never ever put my children in Daycare.

9. Do you buy or borrow most books?
Ooh, that's tough.  I have to say it's about equal.  We borrow scads of library books for the children, but most of the books I read, and many of the books we fall in love with from the library, we find cheap and used online.  Isn't it a wonderful world that we can do that?

10. What fashion trend of the past did you say you'd never wear again but did?
I swore many years ago that I'd never again wear a girdle.  Oh my word.  They are so uncomfortable. They roll up on your legs and either squeeze the life out of your belly, or roll down like an external lap band, cutting off your digestion and/or the blood to your legs.  But.  I got one to wear under the little black dress I wore at my son's wedding -- for smoothing purposes, doncha know...  And, let me tell you, they've improved since I last wore one!  All the advances in the universe are not technological!

11. When do you start Christmas shopping?
The day after Christmas.  Last weekend, though, I pooled the trashbags hidden in the cellar with the boxes hidden in the top of my closet so I could figure out what I have and what I need. And:  I need a lot.

12. Have you ever been so happy that you literally jumped up and down for a few seconds? If so, what was the occasion?
Well, hmmm... I'm not generally a jumper-up-and-downer, but I'm pretty sure I did a happy dance when I heard that Paul had finally proposed to Nicole.  And, then  there was the time last summer when I came home and son, Kevvy, had cleaned the refrigerator for me.  It was The Pony that day.  And I think I hallooed praises and hop-skipped around the bathroom that glorious day a couple weeks ago when we took the potty out for the last time.

Pictureless Meme Day

Since I apparently have used up all the alloted space in my picture file for Blogger...  (Go figure; I never knew there was a limit!)  And since it takes 24 hours for the new space I purchased to appear...  (Because I can't live without pictures!) I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled Looking At The Sky On Friday post with this fun meme I found over at Therese's place!

The Spouse Meme

♥ What are your middle names
Bernadette and Mark

♥ How long have you been together?
22 years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Well, I don't know if you could say we ever actually "dated" in the conventional meaning.  We worked together (crushing from across the computers and light tables at our college paper) for a good year before we admitted we liked each other...  I think we only "went out" once before we got married. 

♥ Who asked who out?
Well, actually a couple of friends of ours asked me out for Dan -- (Thank-you, Paula and Vee wherever you are).  Or, at least they convinced him that it would be the appropriate thing to do.  I don't remember the actual words Dan used, but I remember they were vague and I had to pump him to actually understand that I was being asked out on a date.  Bless him.  He was probably worried I'd say no, and was saving an out for himself.  Of course, once I understood I was getting free dinner, I said yes. 

Then, the date...  I expected Dan to walk me to the old stand-by college dive, Jonnny's, but Dan, bless him, had grander plans. Hoping to impress me maybe (?), he showed up to get me in an old jaloppy he and a friend  bought for $100. (Yeah.  Are you getting a mental image?) I've forgotten the make and model of that old clunker, but I do seem to recall  it was some dull and dreary shade of grey, and the engine sounded like it was trying to cough something up. Poor old thing. Though it tried valiantly and Dan, with hope in his voice, assured me it was a great deal for the price, the old car got only as far as the 'main drag" near our college and konked out in the middle of the street.  Goody. Thankfully, the direction we were going was somewhat downhill, because I had to steer while Dan pushed the car to the ice arena parking lot -- which was about six blocks away, but the closest place we could just park it and leave it.  I'm not sure how we made it there, but we did.  (Incidentally, I never did see that car again.  I have no idea what happened to it...)

But what to do now?  We didn't really want to go to Jonny's. Too many inquisitive friends there.  So we walked to a restaurant I'd heard the professors talking about.  I had a general idea of wher it was and knew that it was called something like "Reefers" or "Reevers."  So we set out to find it.  But it turned out to be farther away than either of us expected, and we ended up walking in circles trying to find it.  But, it was a nice walk through a pleasant neighborhood, and we eventually asked someone who steered us in the right direction.  So we did get to the restaurant, and we had a nice dinner, and only slightly uncomfortable conversation.  Then we walked all the way back to campus -- on a chilly Colorado spring night -- and I was wearing Chinese laundry shoes with no socks, so my toes were blue, but my heart was warm.  It was a wonderful evening, though, in spite of it all.  And Dan and I were married a year later.

♥ How old are each of you?
Dan's a year and a half younger than me, and I'm 45.

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
We see all of my siblings regularly, but especially my sister, Nina.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Ten on earth.

♥ What about pets?
Two dogs, unknown number of cats at this time, four goats, eleven chickens, one fish

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
In the rare case that we disagree on something, neither of us knows quite what to do. 

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Same college.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Nope.  He grew up in Long Beach, CA, my family lived in Colorado when we met in college.

♥ Who is the smartest?
Hmmm....  I'll get back with you on that.  (No. Seriously.  Dan, by a long shot.)

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Me.  But Dan has a tender heart, too.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
At home.  But for a treat, we go to BJ's brewery.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Easy. Me.  It makes me mad that he doesn't have more of a temper.

♥ Who does the cooking?
Mostly me, but Dan is an excellent cook.  He's the family breakfast chef.

♥ Who is more social?
Me. Definitely.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Me.

♥ Who is more stubborn?
Me.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Neither.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Dan does, in order to get into town for work.  But, on vacation, we wake at the same time.

♥Where was your first date?
Reevers or Reefers restaurant.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Me.  I have six brothers and sisters; Dan has one brother.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
Yes.  I'm blessed that way.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
The traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter, we spend at home with the family.  But, vacations together, Dan and I spend in the mountains.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Neither.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
About a year.

♥ Who eats more?
Gosh.  Hard question.  I'd say we're about even. 

♥ Who does/did the laundry?
I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Totally Dan.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Dan.

I'm Cute, I'm Cute! She Thinks I'm Cute!

Many thanks to dear, cute Marcy for this award!  As a young thing, I remember I hated being called "cute," but as a middle-aged thing, I'll take it!  And, let me tell ya, I need the moral reinforcement.  I was at a thrift store the other day with our friend, beautiful-young-thing, Alena.  She was just ahead of me in line, joking with the cashier about how she wished she could qualify for the senior day 50% discount.  When it was my turn to check out and the young man realized that we were together, he said to Alena, "You should have had her buy it for you!" 

 Sheesh. I'm twenty years short of a senior discount, for crying out loud.

I'm thinking we'll just chalk that up to his being a young twenty-something male with that universal male not-paying-attention-to-something-(someone)-right-in-front-of-him syndrome, mixed with a little foot in mouth disease.

Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket...

If you receive this award, you have to answer the following questions:

1) IF YOU COULD COME BACK AS AN ANIMAL, WHICH WOULD IT BE?
A bird.  One that can talk.

2) SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT
My Faith, my family.

3) WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST IN ANOTHER PERSON?
Honesty, authenticity.

4) THE COLORS YOU TEND TO WEAR ARE
Green and blue.

5) THREE WORDS THAT DEFINE YOU
Resilient, creative, blessed.

6) A PLACE YOU WOULD TRAVEL TO
My top five: Ireland (and all the British Isles), Italy, New Zealand, Germany, BC Canada

7) YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE FROM A BOOK OR MOVIE

Come a-runnin'? I'm no woman to be honked at and come a-runnin'!
(And this one's for Alena: Is this a courting or a donnybrook? Have the good manners not to hit the man until he's your husband and entitled to hit you back.)

(Both from The Quiet Man)

8) SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO

Gosh, where do I start? Own a jeep and a cabin in the mountains, write a book, grow peaches, learn to play a musical instrument, learn a foreign language, pave our driveway, figure out how to get the children to throw away their own snotty kleenex!

9) YOUR MAIN STRENGTH/FORTE

It's much easier to tell you what my main weaknesses are...  But, upon thinking on it, I'd have to go back to resilience -- which means: 1 : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress (Just try being pregnant ten+ times!  I'm not a size 8, but I ain't doin too bad...)

2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Both of which we've had our share of)

I can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'... &:o)

* You are also supposed to send this on to seven "young" blogs and seven blogs of wisdom, but, being pressed for time this morning (gotta get school rolling here), I'm just going to pass this on to a few who are both young in heart and old in wisdom, regardless of their age or blogging years:

 Bia

Linda

Kim

Cathy

Abbey

Sara

Little Break From the Slide Show...

The Eight Question MEME

Got this one from Cathy at A Bit of the Blarney...

Six names you go by:
1. Mom
2. Mommy
3. Mama
4. Mrs. D.
5. Lisa
6. Hey, you.

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. working jeans
2. white tee
3. checkered blue and yellow button-down

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Another cup of coffee
2. Someone else to clean the cellar
3. Someone else to make lunch

Three things you did last night/yesterday
1. Cut pumpkins, roasted seeds and prepped pumpkin "meat" for puree
2. Made spaghetti-squash spaghetti casserole
3. Watched Monk and Psych snuggled up nxt to my honey with a nice glass of Guinness.

Two things you ate today
1. cranberry scone
2. handful of roasted pumpkin seeds

Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. My sister, Nina
2. My mom

Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. Go to Mass
2. Make a trip to Estes Park with my sisters, Aunt and cousin

Your three favorite beverages:
1. Coffee
2. English Breakfast Tea, cream and sugar
3. Guinness

Here's what you're supposed to do. Copy and paste the questions into your blog. Then delete my answers and type in your answers. Send this to 5 people and link the answers so that we can all enjoy the fun!

I invite:
1. Terrie
2. Marcy
3. Kim
4. Therese
5. Sara

Queen for a Day

Gae, from Cherished Hearts at Home tagged me for the newest meme going around (Thank-you, Gae!), and I'm going to have some fun with it, and use it to shamelessly fish for compliments from my children... Instead of tooting my own horn (which just felt awkward), I'm curious to see what my kids will say makes their mommy "awe-summ." I figure my chances of putting myself at risk are as good as really getting compliments from my teenagers, though, so it's not really all that shameless, really. You just never know what they're going to say. I promise to list their plugs or slugs verbatim, regardless.

Here are the rules of the meme:
1. List Seven Things That Make You Awe-Summm!
2. Pass the award on to seven bloggers you read religiously.
3. Tag those seven bloggers.

Here are seven awe-summm mom-points from the kids:
(Have at it, you guys...)

1) The ability to clean the same messes made by her children over and over and over and over and over (for almost the past 21 years)... WITHOUT Complaining. (Dominic, 15)
Aside from Mom: Haha, Dominic. You're kidding, right? I never, ever complain. Riiiiiight...

2) How she never fails to get you a treat of some kind when out running errands, where Dad might never even think about it. (Jon, 18)
Aside from Mom: It's just not a Dad thing. He's the one who balances the checkbook...

3) Cooking the best foods. Like scones, her roast beef, all kind of breads, her chicken, her jelly -- yummy!!! (Cathy, 8)
Aside from Mom: Every Mom knows the way to a kid's heart is through her stomach.

4) Her willingness to let me borrow her earrings whenever I ask, even after I have lost a few pairs. (Also for letting me borrow her shoes, socks, and just about everything I ask her for!) (Michelle, 14)
Aside from Mom: That gives me the right to borrow Michelle's stuff, too, though. (If it fits, which nothing does but her earrings...)

5) Always knowing when something's bothering you, and knowing how to fix it. (Theresa, 10)
Aside from Mom: I wish I always knew how to fix things... I do try to.

6) "Nose he that never took a pinch, nose he....." Her raising us with unending discipline with a cushion of love and Mentos. (Kevvy, 20)
Aside from Mom: Gosh, explanations needed here, huh? We used to have a game we played on the long drive home from errands in Denver: I'd keep a roll of Mentos on hand and anyone who was along with me on would get a Mento whenever we went under an overpass. It was just a silly little thing we did. It's funny Kevin remembered that; he hasn't been with me on a Mento drive for a long time! The nose quote I will have to explain in more detail -- hopefully by the end of the week.

7) How she hugs and kisses. How she dresses with her nice skirts and shirts how beautiful. (As quoted to Cathy from Gabriel, 5)
Aside from Mom: I don't wear "nice skirts and shirts how beautiful" every day -- but maybe I will now, as it seems to mean a lot to little Gabe!

** Hey, so I made out pretty well, didn't I? &:o) I'm actually blushing here. Do these kids know which side their bread is buttered on, or what?

Here are my tags for Queens of All Things:

Cathy at A Bit of the Blarney
Bia at La Dolce Vita
Sara at My Wonderful Life
Aubrey at Laughing All The Way
Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings
Marcy at Blessings Each Day
Kim at A Dog and Pony Show


All definitely Awe-summm!!!

Brevity

I don't have it. I literally cannot make my Wordless Wednesday wordless; I do Mostly Wordless Wednesdays but saying mostly is pushing it. My Friday Fragments are less like fragments than complicated structures and my Quick Takes are anything but quick.

Have you noticed this? =sigh= It's something I need to work on, I know. So in the interest of Practice Making Perfect, or at least just to challenge myself to get off the computer quickly so I can get Jon to his early morning dentist appointment on time...

I'm going to attempt....

(drumrollll)

THE ONE WORD MEME!

>> Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers. Be sure to tag the person who sent it to you!

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? curly
3. Your mother? Susan
4. Your father? Chuck
5. Your favorite food? seafood
6. Your dream last night? pencils
7. Your favorite drink? coffee
8. Your dream/goal? quiet
9. What room you are in? den
10. Your hobby? doodling
11. Your fear? hell
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Ouray
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren’t? brief
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. Wish list item? jeep
17. Where you grew up? southeast
18. Last thing you did? brew
19. What are you wearing? pjs
20. Your TV? off
21. Your pets? twenty
22. Friends? blessing
23. Your life? busy
24. Your mood? sleepy
25. Missing someone? tons
26. Car? Honda
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? thrift
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? movie
32. Who will resend this? clueless
33. One place that I go to over and over? Ouray
34. One person who emails me regularly? sister
35. My favorite place to eat? BJ's (Does that count for one word?)

I am not passing this tag to anyone but if you feel like participating, feel free to do so. Just let me know so I can add your link and visit you.



H/T: Mommy's Little Corner

Five Questions

Squelly at The Dreamer's Day is passing along this interview meme, and graciously sent along these five interview questions for me. Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me".
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5.When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are Squelly's questions and my answers:

1. If you could be a fly on the wall at any time and in any room where would it be?
Only one choice? Well, the high-minded answer is that I'd like to have been perched on the rafters of the garret room where Our Lord celebrated the first Mass. The less high-minded answer is that I'd love to be a fly on the wall when my oldest son finally pops the question to his dearly beloved.

2.If you could ask FIVE QUESTIONS to any saint who would you choose and what questions would you ask?
At this point in my life, I'd like to have a conference with St. John Bosco. I'd talk to him about teenage boys. I'd like to have his point of view on cell phones, computers, teenage "crushes," and whether or not a young man should feel "called" to go to college or if he should go just because it appears to be the wise course.

3.What makes you proud to be Catholic?
The times my 'heart swells': When my boys are serving at the altar; when I can hear my children's voices singing in the choir; anytime I hear the Magnificat; the bells ringing in Easter on Holy Saturday; at all my children's Baptisms, First Holy Communions, and Confirmations; watching my toddlers' first attempts at genuflecting before entering the pew; when I see my grown sons unapologetically cross themselves and pray the blessing in restaurants; any time I consider the safety of my soul. I feel blessed to be a Catholic every day of my life.

Sons, Kevin, Jon, Dominic and friend, Tim singing The Magnificat.

4. How would you spend an ideal evening?
There is a biergarten in Ouray, Colorado called The Billy Goat's Gruff where I would love to have dinner and watch the sun set with my husband, after a long day of hiking or four-wheeling in the San Juan mountains. But, just an evening home with all the kids, eating popcorn and watching movies is lovely, too.

5. What do you like best about blogging?
I love the creative outlet. But, I've also been blessed by the friends I've met here ~ from all stations of life, with so many gifts of inspiration, from all over the world!

*Anyone who might like some interview questions, leave me a comment telling me so!

The Fancy C Assignment

Laura at Catholic Teacher's Musing passed out some assignments the other day, and I landed the letter C to work on. The challenge is to name ten things I fancy that begin with the letter C.
Here goes.
(Not necessarily in the order of preference.)

1. Colorado (and the reason Laura gave me this letter!)

I've lived here for the last thirty years of my life and can't imagine living anywhere else. I love this place!

2. Children

I've never not been around children in some capacity; as big sister, as teacher, as mother I love them in all shapes, sizes, and dispositions.

*

*

3. Crayons

Ah, the smell of a newly opened box! The thrill of those rows of rainbow-hued points goes clear back to kindergarten days ~ mine and eight children's so far.

4. Coffee

In our family we were allowed to drink coffee when we turned twelve. I remember being so proud when my Dad invited me to join him in my first cup; it meant that he acknowleged my coming of age. Stirring in that first spoonful of Coffeemate, I knew that I was finally poised on the brink of adulthood. And now, here I am these many thousands of brewings later... Having dived off the brink and into the cup, I am contentedly paddling around ~ in my dark roast Starbucks blend (if I can afford it), with a splash of vanilla creamer, one teaspoon of cocoa, and one teaspoon of sugar.

5. Chesterton
Never pithy, always wise, often funny, G.K. Chesterton is one of the best writers of any age, and, in my book, the quintessential philosopher of the modern age. And prolific! There is almost no subject that Mr. C. did not touch upon, and, though he died in 1936, I declare, I haven't found a treatise yet, whether it concerns politics or the social dilemma of the modern world, that is not spot-on today.

6. The Catholic Faith
I have the great privilege of being a cradle Catholic, raised by devout parents, a product of the Catholic School system, but I still have only barely touched the shore of the ocean that is the Catholic Church. It's as vast as the universe, but as specific as the neutrons in the cells of these fingers typing right now. It encompasses all and forgets nothing. It is God's home on earth.

7. Clouds

They're three quarters of the landscape out here on the Colorado high prairie. And, while I'm not as big a fan of the prairies as I am of the mountains, I can't help but be amazed and entertained by the almost daily art show in the skies here.

8. Chocolate
What more is there to say?

(I'm finding this letter "c" way too easy... It's reminding me of taking a test in my school days when I thought for sure I must be missing some important prerequisite. You remember, the trick test where the instructions tell you to read all the questions before you begin and the last words on the test are: Never mind about taking the test. Bring your paper to my desk and go home.)

9. But, while we're on the subject of sweets, you know I can't resist this one:



10. Cassatt, Cameron, and Child
(Is it cheating or extra credit to add three here?)

But, seriously, I wouldn't want it to appear I'm only about crayons, children and chocolate! (Even though I mostly am...)

Why these three?
Mary Cassatt ~ speaks to my station in life, as well as an irresistable attraction for good visual art. I also admire her for the audacity of using only her first and last name.

Julia Margaret Cameron ~ one of the first renowned women photographers, didn't pick up a camera until she was 48 years old. I love photography and would love to learn more about it. Maybe about the time I'm 48 I'll have time to pursue it seriously...

Lydia Marie Child ~ A nineteenth century publisher of children's periodicals, domestic arts books and the author of "Over the River and Through the Woods," Child was also an early advocate for the rights of American Indians, and an all 'round dynamic and interesting lady. If I were going to write books or articles, it would be along the lines of Child's pet topics, save I would exchange her advocacy for the Indians with something more cutting edge for our times ~ advocacy of the unborn.

Two Tags, One Meme

Esther, at Catholic Mom in Hawaii, and Therese, at Aussie Coffee Shop, both tagged me for the 6 Things That Make Me Happy meme. And it's a simple, but good one. According to the rules, I have to post six things that make me really happy ... and pass it on to give six more people a reason to be thankful!

So here are my six of many:

1. A good cup of coffee (pouring one right now!)

2. A little boy who doesn't wipe my kisses off, but "rubs them in."

3. Little girls who make "I love Mommy" cards.

4. Never knowing when my husband might surprise me with flowers.

5. Teenagers who text me: How's it goin, Mom?

6. Having the perfect security that, no matter what, God is in His Heaven and all is (and will be) right with the world.

And I tag:

Marie,

Laura,

Bia,

Aimee,

Jenny, &

Kaila

Blogging Meme

SuzyQ at Sailing by Starlight tagged me for the Blogging Meme. And, this is a thought provoking one; even as I type this, I don't know how I'm going to answer.

These are the rules:
1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. Link back to the person who tagged you
3. Link back to this parent post (I'm not so much interested in generating links, but rather in tracking the meme so I can perhaps do a summary post later on that looks at patterns and interesting discoveries.)
4. Tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

And, so, hmmmm, let's see.... How has blogging affected me?

1. I think I always knew that my protected little world was just the tiniest corner of a vast universe of thought, philosophy and custom. I'm just a little Who-mom in Whoville. But, it's one thing to compare yourself to a Dr. Seuss book, and another thing, entirely, to find yourself personally debating with the disembodied voices existing somewhere outside of your dandelion puff.

2. Having been a regular visitor to the world outside my dandelion puff for a little over a year now, though, I've discovered some surprising things:

• For one thing, though my voice is small, the tiniest bit of an infraction against the status quo ~ even within the group I choose to visit that breathes the same conservative, Catholic atmosphere that I do on my little puff ~ sends some kind of cosmic vibration along the internet nerve pathway, alerting every possible dissenter with every possible excuse to descend onto my dandelion puff. This is why I go to some lengths to be as uncontroversial as I can be. I'm not on here to fight.
• But, that said, I've discovered a whole world of friends that I didn't expect to find. I've had far more experience with gracious, thoughtful, intelligent internet travelers than anything else. The blogging world, if navigated carefully, is a continual source of inspiration. The ideas and resources I've found through other bloggers has opened up a whole new world for me as a Catholic, a homemaker, and especially as a homeschooling mom. Holy Cow, there are some creative ladies out there! And the deep spiritual life of some of my blogging friends shames me to work harder on my own.
• Blogging has been a process of personal discovery for me. I'm at a kind of crossroads in my life and have been trying to refigure things in general. My oldest children are moving out into the world and onto their own lives and my youngest is about to be potty trained. It looks like we will soon have a diaper-free house for the first time in 21 years! My days of bringing new life into the world appear to be coming to an end, as God wills it, and my role is shifting. It's been a wonderful opportunity to use my own voice on this computer, and to come to grips with the balancing act of a middle aged mother's identity. I've had the chance to rediscover that my name is still really Lisa and not Mommy, but that the biggest and best part of Lisa is the fact that she's a Mommy.
• I've also learned that I have obsessive computer disorder and I've had to learn to ration my time in the blogosphere with all my more important responsibilities. It's a daily balancing act that I know many other bloggers struggle with, as well. Who knew there'd be such an addictive quality to blogging? We need to have a support group for this addiction ~ Maybe I could start a new blog for that!
  

Now, who wants to be next? Anyone out there who wants to think this one through and share it, please feel free to consider yourself tagged!

Tagged!

for the 6 Quirks Meme, by Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings.

Here they, are, unspectacular, but peculiarly my own:

1 ~ I can exactly match a color from memory.

2 ~ I was born in Spain, but haven't stepped a foot off the mainland US since we returned from my Dad's Navy duty station when I was a toddler.

3 ~ I have to hold my husband's left hand when we walk together, or the feng shui is just all wrong.

4 ~ I can't stand milk on cereal, but will eat it dry (especially frosted mini wheats).

5 ~ I can make soup, any time, anywhere, out of anything ~ and have never made the same soup twice.

6 ~ I am totally sick of my hair, and can't afford a salon at the moment, so I'm taking the scissors to it myself today. Of course, I always have to explain the wacky cuts to beauticians later on when I do this, and they look at me like I'm just nuts... Alas.... Vanity, vanity, all is vanity... (Or is it, if I'm willing to butcher my hair by cutting it myself??)

* Correction: I said above that I have to hold my husband's left hand because I hang around pre-schoolers too much and apparently don't know right from left. Let me amend ~ I have to hold HIS right hand in MY left hand. (This stuff's important, you know! I had to catch that before he did!) Now, back to our previously scheduled meme...

Here are the official rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

And I tag.....

Suzy at Sailing by Starlight
Ouiz at Chez Ouiz
T at T With Honey
Nutmeg at Life in a Nutshell
Joann at Ten Kids and a Dog

ABC Meme

Go in order ABC, Answer the questions, and then tag 3!

I am tagging Laura, Nutmeg (when she gets back home from our neck of the woods!), and Suzy.

A is for age: 43 ~ which is better than the alternative...

B is for burger of choice: I almost always choose a chicken burger; any variety that has avacado on it is good.

C is for what kind of car you drive: Honda Odyssey

C is also for your favorite past vehicle: I love my Saab turbo convertible ~ which I "backward inherited" from my oldest son a couple of years ago, which I've lent to my second oldest son to use until he can afford his own car.

D is for your dog's name: Brigid (9 year old Bichon), Bella (yellow lab/pyrrenies pup).

E is for essential item you use everyday: I'd be lost without my cell phone!

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: We're enjoying the "I Survived History" series right now. We always love "Dirty Jobs" and "Mythbusters." I never miss "Ghost Hunters." (Yeah, I know, I'm weird that way...)

G is for favorite game: I don't mind watching either baseball or football, if the boys are watching, but I give it maybe a quarter of my attention while I do something else... I like to play Scrabble or Pictionary.

H is for Home State: I'm a Navy brat. I don't really have a home state ~ though, I guess other than Colorado, we lived in Virginia the longest. My "ancestral roots" are in Maryland (Dad's family) and North Carolina (Mom's family).

I is for instruments you play: Seussaphone

J is for favorite juice: Cranberry slushy from Sonic.

K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: That changes from moment to moment around here...

L is for last restaurant at which you ate? BJs brewery. (Awesome pizza!)

M is for your favorite Muppet: Beeker

N is for Number of Piercing: One hole each ear.

O is for overnight hospital stays: One for each pregnancy ~ that makes 10. Thankfully, that's it.

P is for people you were with today: From the top: My husband (for a wee minute early this morning), Jon, Dominic, Michelle, Michelle's friends who slept over ~ Brenda, Carol, and Noel, Theresa, Cathy, Anna, Gabe, and William.

Q is for what you do with your quiet time: Blog, read, clean house

R is for biggest regret: Hmmm.... I can't really think of anything I regret that I had control over, except not sticking to Weight Watchers better...

S is for status: Happily married, 21 years.

T is for time you woke up today: Around 7 or so.

U is for what you consider unique about yourself: Well, having ten children is undeniably unique ~ other than that, I don't have any outstanding talents or qualities.

V is for vegetable you love: Homegrown tomatoes. (Wish I had some this year!)

W is for worst habit: As much as I hate to own up to it, it's probably coffee drinking. I know it's not good for me, but it's a vice I just can't bring myself to break.

X is for x-rays you've had: Dental ~ many moons ago. And several rounds on my knee before surgery last year.

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Gosh. I haven't eaten yet. And I'm hungry! I'm going to go hunt down a box of maple mini wheats I think.

Z is for zodiac sign: Virgo.

Thanks for the tag, Peggy. This was a fun one!

First Things First

Cathy, over at A Bit of the Blarney tagged me for this really quick and fun meme. This is about my speed first thing in the morning, so here goes:

The first thing I thought today: "Dang! The boys left and I forgot to give them Michelley's bathing suit!" (Sorry, Michelle!)

The first thing I ate today: Dry maple-flavored mini wheats.
The first thing I drank today: A cup of coffee.
The first thing I said today: "Hand me a diaper, Theresa..."
The first action I did today: Changed a diaper...
The first thing I read today: An e-mail from my good friend, Terrie. (Hi, Terrie!)
The first item of clothing I put on today: Lilac colored tee

The first person I spoke to today: Murmered goodbye to my husband, I think, when he left around 5:30 this morning...

The first chore I did today: Wiped up the mustard the boys got all over the counter making themselves bagged lunches this morning.

The first blog I visited today: Visited Cathy at A Bit of the Blarney!

Now, I tag:

(Hmmm, let me see...)

A Catholic Notebook

La Dolce Vita

Spreading Joy

Eileen on Him

Ten Kids and a Dog

Thoughts of a College Student

Seven Things, Somewhat Random

Charming Ouiz at Chez Quiz snuck up when I wasn't looking and tagged me for a Seven Random Things Meme! I did one not too long ago, but these are really fun, so I don't mind at all being tagged to do it again!

Except, I'm disobeying the rules a little bit...

Here are the rules:

1. When tagged place the name and URL on your blog.
2. Post rules on your blog.
3. Write 7 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Name 7 of your favorite blogs.
5. Send an email/comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged.

Here are my seven random things. They're not exactly random, and they're more along the lines of nonimportant quirky little things that happened during a somewhat important time in my life:

1) My husband and I will be one year into our "Next Twenty" years of marital bliss this Friday, the 2nd of May, but we're so booked with unexpected and prior engagements, that we likely won't see each other until next week. But, at this time of our life, we're ok with that. We're holding out for the big kids to be back from school, so they can babysit and give us a good long weekend away sometime the first of June. Good things come to those who wait.

2) Ours was the first wedding after quite a long time in our small chapel twenty-one years ago. We had no wedding planner, no caterer, and no money. We were not practiced in the art of weddings at that time. Nobody remembered, for instance, that my veil was supposed to be flipped over my face before the wedding march. So, I marched out there, brazenly bare-faced. It was a sign of things to come.

3) My Mom picked my dress, my bridesmaids' dresses, the flowers, everything. It's a good thing she didn't mind, because I so did not care about any of it. All I wanted was that handsome, pale young man at the front of the church. Didn't care how it all came about. Just wanted him.

4) We were supposed to borrow a good friend's jeep to drive the few blocks from the chapel to my parents' house for the reception. It just tickled us to think of my veil flying behind us in the open air jeep. Unfortunately, that was not a memory we were destined to have. It rained. Buckets. (Which is good luck, isn't it? At least that's what everyone was saying at the time...)

5) Since it rained, the "overflow" of guests into the yard and patio at my parents' house, had nowhere to flow over. Every person we ever knew was packed into my parents' house. Elderly parishoners mingled with frat brothers, my little brothers and sisters played under the table with bridesmaids. Our parish priest rubbed elbows with our newspaper friends. It was insanely crowded and muggy. And the DJ didn't show up. But I have never been to a more purely fun reception in my life.

6) Our wedding day coincided with the 113th running of the Kentucky Derby and I desperately wanted to see the race, thinking that the winner would hold some kind of deep significance, it being our wedding day and all. But, I managed to miss it because I had a wide hoop skirt, under my victorian-style wedding dress, and due to the raucous pressing crowds, I was trapped on the stairs for most of the afternoon. It didn't occur to me until later that all I had to do was take off the silly hoop and loop up the back of the skirt. Duh! (Though I heard the roar of the crowd downstairs near the tv at the end of the race, I don't know, to this day, what horse won. I should google that!)

7) When it came time to cut the cake (which was the center of much amusement throughout the reception because the bride-and-groom topper insisted on leaning drunkenly to one side regardless of how many helpful guests shoved them up straight...) Anyway.... You know that part where you take the cake and offer the first bite, each to one another? You know how it is the custom in some uncouth circles to smash that first bite into the face of the newly assigned "better half"?

Well, I didn't. And he did.

But, my wonderful father-in-law (to whom I shall remain forever indebted) protested that he didn't get a good picture of my first attempt, and gave me another opportunity. (Isn't he truly wonderful?) So I got my groom the second time around.

And then I got him again last year on our twentieth anniversary... So much for couth.


Anyone serving any cake this year??
Now my seven favorite bloggers! How 'bout Cathy, Bia, Wendy, Kaila, Joann, Nicole, Matilda, and Laura.

Purses

I've got purses on the mind right now. Actually, I'm feeling very self consciousness about my winter bag, and am in the market for the summer. But, I haven't found quite The One yet. In a flurry on the way out the other night, I grabbed my old denim purse, for a last minute desperate change-over in the car on the way out to dinner. Not great, but it worked in a pinch. Better than the dark brown leather one, anyway.

My husband just rolls his eyes. He does not understand this at all. To wit:

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have last year's summer purse, hon. But, it's a little worse for wear. and... Yes I have the little green one from two summers ago, too... but... No, none of them will do. I need a new one. It can come out of the grocery money. Don't worry. The kids like to have Ramen noodles every day for lunch..."

Men could never understand how important it is to a woman to have the right purse. All they've got are pockets, and that seems to make them hapy. How could they know?

Ah, the joys of the perfect purse! Having just the right spaces to store my particular essentials. Big enough to hold everything, but not so big that things are hard to find. Neutral enough to work with all my clothes and shoes, but not so neutral that it's boring. Functional enough to be a "mommy bag," but cool enough that it doesn't look frumpy.

I know it's out there. I'm on the hunt.

In the meantime, since it's so much on my mind, I jotted out a meme all about purses. This is not trivial, either, mind you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A girl's purse tells a lot about her! You could put together my whole life story from the contents of my purse. The following meme may tell a little about you, too. To play along, replace my answers with yours and send this out as a meme to as many girlfriends as you think would enjoy it. Remember to link and notify if you're blogging. If you don't want to "do" a meme, you can just scroll through for your own personal journey of discovery ~ and you can leave whatever answers stand out for you in the comments below. I'd love to know I'm not alone in my purse-fancy!

1. Do you frequently switch between several purses? (Diaper bags are their own categorie, Moms!) How many purses are in your rotation right now? I have one main bag, but do switch out occasionally, say, for instance, if I need something smaller or want to match a pair of shoes.

2. What kind of purse do you usually carry? Is it huge and slouchy, small and trim, or somewhere in between? Do you go for colorful and quirky or neutral and conventional? Used to be huge and slouchy, now more medium sized, and usually neutral tones of browns or tans ~ or denim.

3. Do you call it a purse? Or a Pocketbook, Handbag, Bag, or ?? I call it a purse, but I always thought it was funny that my Baltimore grandmother called it a "pockabook."

4. How old is the oldest purse you own? Probably ten years old. I don't use it any more, but can't make myself get rid of it. It was a really good bag... Such good memories...

5. When did you buy your last purse? Describe it! Right after Christmas I got a white hobo purse with a bold pattern of black curli-kew flowers on it. I really like it, but it doesn't go with most things.

6. What is the most you ever spent on a purse? Maybe $20. No Prada for me!

7. How many pockets, divisions, or pouches are in your everyday purse? Can you tell without looking? The denim purse I'm using now has... at least seven.

8. Have you ever purposely hit someone with your purse? Undoubtedly!

9. How badly would someone be hurt, if you really wholloped 'em with it?

a) ow.
b) OW!

c) Silence... because it laid the offendee clean out on the floor.

Definitely "c" ~ It's heavy!

10. Without looking guess how many of the following items your purse contains (You don't need to identify, but you can if you want to):

*makeup items (including nail care): 2 (face powder and a fingernail file.)

*hair care items: 3 (a brush, ponytail holder, and barette)

*pens and/or pencils: 5 or 6

*books/notebooks/address books/mail: At least 5

*items relating to your kids: 2 or 3 at the moment, including a baggie full of wet wipes and a miniature teddy bear book.

*items belonging to your husband or boyfriend: 1 ( checkbook to hubby's account)

*food: 2 (an emergency granola bar and some mints)

*medicines (including tissue): 3 (Tylenol, vitamins, tissue)

*church related items: about 8 (my missal, a children's missal, at least 2 rosaries, 3 chapel veils and a stack of miscellaneous holy cards)

*glasses/sunglasses: 1 pair sunglasses

*category to be named by you: lots of balled up kleenex and loose change

Now, Spring Cleaning Time!

Get your purse, dump it out, and see how close you came! Record that next to your original guess, if you like. Or just take the opportunity to get your purse nice and clean and organized!

PS: Wallet? Yeah, I have a wallet in there, too! I could do a meme just about junk that's in my wallet!

PPS: None of the purses pictured is mine, but I'd take any one of them (except for maybe that wild orange Prada one.)