Monday, March 30, 2009

Can You Turn Off The Sun?

Bug and Oney were playing in their bedroom. The only light was coming from the sun shining through the window. Bug asked me if I could turn off all the lights, I told her they were off. She pointed to the window and I said that is the Sun. She then told me to go ahead and turn off the Sun.

It is funny how kids view their mom. In their eyes moms can do anything, even turn off the Sun. Mom will always be there, nothing bad can happen to mom.

I thought the same thing as a child. I saw my mom as someone who did not need rest, who did not need her own time, who was in all senses a super woman. Of course as I got older and became a mother myself I grew to know my mom as a women and a friend.

Feeling that I had a mature relationship with my mom I was surprised at my feelings of the news she gave me last week. During a doctor exam a lump was found. My mom, being the woman that she is was not going to tell me, but she needed a shoulder and I am so glad she came to me. I took her to the doctor and I was able to be with her while she had surgery. We will know the results this week.

I was surprised at my feelings because the first thing I thought was this could not be anything bad because nothing bad could happen to my mom. She is a strong super women and bad things just can not happen to her.

I had a lot of time to think about my mom and mothers in general and how the love they share with their children is indescribable. It scared me to think what the world would be like not to have my mom in it.

I thought about a mothers love and I realized that a mothers love is like a warm blanket wrapped around their children. No matter how old you get, if mom is near to you or far away, if you think about her you feel the ever present love around you. Would this blanket go away when mom left the world? Would I be left shivering in the cold? I am sure it would feel like that for a while but I firmly believe that mothers were put on this Earth to give us a tiny imperfect taste of God's love.

God is love, and the blanket I felt around me was His, even though he used my mother and her calling to help me to understand, it belongs to Him. And when the day comes that God calls my mom home I will not be in the cold because God's love is like a mothers but perfect in every way.

Things concerning my mom's health seem to be optimistic and she is doing well. Even though she is an imperfect human being and can not turn off the Sun, I will forever be grateful to her for answering the call to become a mother and to help me see the little glimpse of love God has for me and all his children.

Please pray for my mom's health and all mothers who do their best to let God shine through.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

We Are Having a Boy!

We found out yesterday that the sweet little baby that is on it's way will be a boy!

I took the kids to view the ultrasound and we were all in anticipation to find out if this little one would be a boy or a girl.

My oldest son Lil D was being his witty self and then my maturity level went down to that of an eight year old boy. Lil D was making me laugh and I had to tell the woman doing the ultrasound more than once that I was sorry for laughing. We had fun.

Lil D had a lot of comments as he watched the baby on the monitor, one being that he was glad he is not a woman, and I think he said, this is disgusting a couple of times. Miss my oldest daughter's comeback was, "You don't know what natural beauty is."

When we finally knew it was a boy I looked at bug and saw the tears starting to roll down her cheeks. She was not as happy as everyone else. She stopped crying when Miss told her having a baby brother meant that Miss and her could share a room with bunk beds, that made Bug feel better. Lil D's response to his little sister was, "Don't cry Mama can make you a baby sister."

It was a very interesting doctors appointment.

I could not be more excited to have another little man in my life. It is a wonderful gift.

Monday, March 16, 2009

7 Things I Love About My Parish (A Meme)

Tabula Cerata has tagged everyone who reads his post 7 things I Love About My Parish.

1. The Parishioners

I absolutely love the parishioners of my parish. They are so welcoming and care so much about our parish. They will give as much of themselves as they can to keep it going. When Oney was in the hospital my family was given a big statue of the Blessed Mother to keep at at our home. We were also given healing oil and many prayers. They are always full of smiles and always complement my children even if they weren't behaving that well on Sunday.

2. Our Priest

Our priest is young and full of life. He is witty and funny. He is very smart and just got us out of a debt that was over a million dollars! He is good with children and knows how to keep them interested in their faith.

3. Our Deacons

Our deacons are about the sweetest bunch of men I know. One in particular gives homilies that make me cry every time. Their hearts and their words show how much they love the Lord and how much they care about the people of our parish.

4. Our Music director

Our music directer is awesome. She plays and sings beautifully. It does not matter if she is playing traditional songs or contemporary, she does a wonderful job. During lent she has some prayers sung in Latin. I have no idea how to say them but I love it. She is great.

5. Generosity

The generosity of my parish is unbelievable. As I mentioned before we just got ourselves out of a debt that was over a million dollars! We were able to do that because we have a driven priest and a parish full of giving people. When it comes to gifts and food for the poor, people in my parish give with abundance. It is wonderful to have such a giving parish.

6. Children

The kids are involved in our parish. We have a children's Mass, Stations of the cross that is performed by the kids, and of course the Christmas pageant. Children are encouraged to give food to the poor each week, and we now have a cool youth group that is full of great ideas for the younger people in our parish.

7. Reverence

My parish and the way Mass is done there is so beautiful and reverent. I feel so close to our Lord and I can feel that the real presence of Jesus Christ is there.

I can go on and on about how much I love my parish and what it means to my family and me.

If you are reading this you have been tagged. Let us know the 7 things you love about your parish.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Frugal Friday: Corn, Bacon,and Potato Chowder

1/2 pound of bacon
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbs flour
1 quart milk
1/2 pound frozen corn
4 or 5 potatoes (about a pound), peeled, cubed, and simmered until tender
salt and pepper to taste
a few sprigs of parsley
paprika for garnish if you like

Cook the bacon in a large pot. If you cook a few slices of bacon just for this, drain all but 3 Tbs of the grease from the pan. Set the bacon aside and chop it.

Cook the onion in the bacon grease 5 minutes or so, until softened. Sprinkle the flour in and stir. Cook over medium-low heat 2-3 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Stir in the milk slowly. Turn the heat up to medium and bring to a boil, stirring almost constantly. Turn the heat down but make sure it's still simmering and cook a minute to thicken the base of your soup.

Add the corn, potatoes, bacon, salt and pepper. Heat through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

What's Happening?

Life has been going pretty well for us. The changes we are making seem to be positive and making all of us comfortable and happy.

I posted before about how Big D and I are doing the Dave Ramsey plan to be debt-free. This plan really works! Before when Big D would announce he was going to do the bills you could feel the tension in the air. Since we have been on this plan every time he does the bills he has said, "This is awesome!" You can't beat that kind of reaction.

Being disciplined about money and living below our means, and we are living way below our means, has not been as hard as I thought it would be. Thinking about a debt-free future keeps me focused. The hardest part of this whole thing is saying no to the kids and to other people.

It gets complicated when others ask you to do things that we don't want to spend money on and we have to explain what we are doing and why. Some people say, "Good for you." others give us a weird look and change the subject. We will continue to push on.

We had one good day of weather. It was sixty degrees and sunny. My mood on that day changed instantly. I don't know if it was the sunshine or if it was because the kids played out side most of the day.

I put on some Lime Coolada lotion, relaxed with my front door open and made believe it was summer. Can you tell I am really ready for some nice weather!

Then it went back to being cold and now it has been non stop rain. Oh well I know spring is coming and soon my spirits will be lifted.

My little niece was baptized at the beginning of the month and Big D was given the honor of being Godfather. He is very proud of this honor given to him and he wrote a beautiful post about Baptism. The post is titled The Applause From Heaven.

School is going. I guess it is going well, we are getting the work done and I am trying to make it as fun as I can, but I have been so tired and not motivated at all. I am doing the best I can and the kids are learning, I guess that is what matters.

The time change has me all messed up. Since the time change we have all been waking up at 9am. That is late for us. It seems the day goes by so quickly now. But I love how it stays light out longer into the night. I think it is around 5pm and when I glance at the clock it is 7:30 at night.
It is taking me awhile to get used to this change.

My pregnancy is going well. All my tests have come back normal. We will be able to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl on St. Patrick's Day. I can't wait, I hope the baby cooperates!

I am grateful for my life and how drama free it is. I am grateful that the biggest news I have is about the time change and the weather. Some may say it is boring but I say it is blessed!

That's all folks, have a blessed day!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Interview With a Four Year Old

Four year old children are wonderful little people. They have such an innocent view on life and the people they share their life with.

Here is an interview I did with my four year old daughter Bug. It was interesting and funny to see how she thinks of me.

1. What is something mom always says to you?
You love me.

2. What makes mom happy?
When I give you a hug.

3. What makes mom sad?
Monsters

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
You make funny faces.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
You wanted a book.

6. How old is your mom?
Five

7. How tall is your mom?
This big (She reached as high as her little arm could go)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Cook dinner

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
You and Daddy play games together.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Princesses would dance with you. (Maybe she means Dancing With the Stars, or maybe I will have a role in the movie Princess barbie?)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Your good at drawing.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Your not good at making a monkey.

13. What does your mom do for her job?
You get suckers.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Tomatoes with cheese on it. (?)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
You give me my books and you make my bed.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Dora!

17. What do you and your mom do together?
We like to play Dora games.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We love each other.

19. How are you and your mom different?
We have different color eyes.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You show me pictures, you help me do my ABC's.

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Church

Friday, March 6, 2009

Frugal Friday: Clam Spaghetti

Clam Spaghetti

This Recipe serves 8
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams with juice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, for garnish


Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the garlic 1 minute, until tender. Mix in the clams and juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
3. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the sauteed clams, chopped parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Garnish with parsley sprigs to serve.



ENJOY!













Monday, March 2, 2009

Update

Thank you for all your prayers. My Aunt had her surgery and is now recovering. The cancer did not spread.

We are hoping for a speedy recovery and praying that she has the strength to make it through her chemo.

Thanks again to everyone!