tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22323383558927756162024-03-18T21:49:07.069-07:00Pretty in PinkRosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.comBlogger242125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-70644754575106911222011-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:002011-02-14T13:29:12.034-08:00So Sweet! Valentine BirthdayI made this for a friend whose birthday is today! I used the Storybook cartridge. The phrase "Birthday Girl" is on page 72. I used Bazil cardstock in pink and shadowed the letters in white. Then I added some bling with glitter, sticker glitter hearts and one gem for the "I". I glued the phrase onto a doily and attached it to the card. I thought it made the card look very fancy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLeG14nGotezwOR8IOCM-Ofv_Qry0_kRPFrlQm17MckRoDt1bIRkJcGaU-z90qSbMOehI-DO2J3JPBTlmwzs-k__KsbNm0S6ifzbb_Yd-F_bSxc6FIwgV35kOIduxTgt4sCkMWzM8zeY/s1600/DSC_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLeG14nGotezwOR8IOCM-Ofv_Qry0_kRPFrlQm17MckRoDt1bIRkJcGaU-z90qSbMOehI-DO2J3JPBTlmwzs-k__KsbNm0S6ifzbb_Yd-F_bSxc6FIwgV35kOIduxTgt4sCkMWzM8zeY/s320/DSC_0082.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!</span></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-60774942687629499412011-02-08T08:13:00.000-08:002011-02-08T08:13:12.113-08:00Cricut Valentine's Project-- Love BannerI made this for a friend to hang on her mantle for Valentine's day. I used the Birthday Bash cartridge for the banner, and the Storybook cart for the letters. It went together very easily and turned out very nice for my first banner!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakdv1ddjc1QEd_UC-Y0CFW_rwdzAKCccroOleG2UuZbhTTNZpBBJtu5imlAmIaVvQg9JYs3DxJ5ROLsrqyi45Fmjiw7mKWssbkp_1guQvDMQKfHqAVynB1Ev_4OfgvKXUCOBfIE6qqUE/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakdv1ddjc1QEd_UC-Y0CFW_rwdzAKCccroOleG2UuZbhTTNZpBBJtu5imlAmIaVvQg9JYs3DxJ5ROLsrqyi45Fmjiw7mKWssbkp_1guQvDMQKfHqAVynB1Ev_4OfgvKXUCOBfIE6qqUE/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-64930375129515827162011-02-07T10:48:00.000-08:002011-02-07T10:48:07.585-08:00Monday MusingsThis year we will have a number of 11's in the date. 1/1/11; 1/11/11; 11/1/11; 11/11/11. Try this out and amaze your friends. Take the age you will be this year and add that number to the last two digits of the year you were born. The number will be 111! Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-21523065920453275722011-01-31T11:37:00.000-08:002011-01-31T14:27:49.290-08:00Shopping for a First Communion Dress<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is something I've looked forward to ever since our little Princess was born! I can't believe we are beginning the process of catechesis for her First Communion Day which will be coming up this May. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">More importantly than the dress is the reason for this occasion, which is the children receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the very first time. I think it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and lose focus on the reason. That being said, I admit that I am loving getting the chance to pick out a First Communion dress for her. I want it to be something really special for a REALLY special day. It is almost like picking out a wedding dress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Besides our local Catholic book store, which I will most definitely check out-- I really love supporting that business because it is so nice to have a Catholic store nearby-- I have found some online sources to be very helpful in comparing what the dress looks like. Nordstroms carries some nice dresses. I have picked two that I really like:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">This one:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUe6kUiUxx2fA96PGRSmp3t1Mo8noPJm13X8q4Y9YZN9X1pbw6JJVMjdOOA1NSCMZYwR0LzWIHh7suczcb4birxxQEUof8Aew2s2bYzbghsHuzmUR9spi_ceDGcvT99tE0vZoOBZJ73s/s1600/comm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUe6kUiUxx2fA96PGRSmp3t1Mo8noPJm13X8q4Y9YZN9X1pbw6JJVMjdOOA1NSCMZYwR0LzWIHh7suczcb4birxxQEUof8Aew2s2bYzbghsHuzmUR9spi_ceDGcvT99tE0vZoOBZJ73s/s400/comm1.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And this one:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi29bMjhXNxWf21upo7t_V-WEYKr7Oh1S4adGEY2AOUTFYP7TzYK8RnBg3AQ4UQ_0XRbb1VIEU5ru7gs4elJUpnRRgF1wcmldy_cKmtkIOSq7CEVC05s1Goxdfoj7KAeIFT7Su_aMDBOo/s1600/comm2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi29bMjhXNxWf21upo7t_V-WEYKr7Oh1S4adGEY2AOUTFYP7TzYK8RnBg3AQ4UQ_0XRbb1VIEU5ru7gs4elJUpnRRgF1wcmldy_cKmtkIOSq7CEVC05s1Goxdfoj7KAeIFT7Su_aMDBOo/s400/comm2.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We have plenty of time before making any choices, but this is such an exciting milestone for any Catholic as the next step in the faith journey and the second step to full initiation with the Church. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On Wednesday we have a meeting which will discuss all the details as far as what is required. The children need to attend classes specifically for learning all about the Eucharist and the importance of the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I like how our children come fully into the Faith in stages, just how they grow into full understanding in stages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The usual way a child is initiated into the Catholic Church is through Baptism, preferably shortly after birth but it can be anytime before age 7; the next step is receiving First Holy Communion at around second grade or age 8; and finally Confirmation which is conferred during the teens. The age of Confirmation varies depending on the rules of the Diocese in which they belong. F</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">or example, in our Diocese, Confirmation takes place in the Junior or Senior year of High School after two years of preparation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So, it seems, my little princess is growing up. She will be able to receive Communion with us at Mass starting after her First Communion in May. I remember when she was a toddler, one time my husband was carrying her in his arms up to Communion. She was perplexed at why she didn't receive the Host when my husband did and I think maybe felt a little left out. She held her hands out but instead of receiving a Host, she was given the usual blessing, as would anyone Catholic or non-Catholic who isn't able to receive. The next Sunday, I think she must have thought to try a new tactic. When she got to the front of the line, she looked up sweetly, held out her hands and asked, "Please?" Which was very cute but still she received a blessing. Soon, very soon, she will receive Jesus in the Eucharist and all the graces that come along with that. We are very excited!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-69482487690022996052011-01-30T07:59:00.000-08:002011-01-30T07:59:26.167-08:00Kicking off another Catholic Schools Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4ZqFs41GvDeZcgJ0YfLZqgkTNB82G5BJbHPwXU5iqm9MfhhT6CcAYF69_coenTgjhxrL_Txy7FaVqrOMOTRCJBhbdojf3WAC3SSGC1Zk2CeR8AIxtpLgxIxo5zewzMPA1A7BdGbaZ2Q/s1600/2011_CSW_logo_clr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4ZqFs41GvDeZcgJ0YfLZqgkTNB82G5BJbHPwXU5iqm9MfhhT6CcAYF69_coenTgjhxrL_Txy7FaVqrOMOTRCJBhbdojf3WAC3SSGC1Zk2CeR8AIxtpLgxIxo5zewzMPA1A7BdGbaZ2Q/s320/2011_CSW_logo_clr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Catholic schools week is always celebrated the last week of January. This year's theme is A+ for America. Our school is commemorating this week by having lots of fun and enriching activities for the kids. Today, the kids will receive a free dress pass for wearing their school uniform to Mass. Most of the kids love free dress days as they are few and far between! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Catholic school for us means quite a commitment and financial sacrifice as it does for most of the other families who choose this as a way to educate their children. It means paying a steep tuition and other fees. It means commuting each day to and from. It means investing our time with share hours that each family is required to meet. We have done a mix of public school and private school and their are pros and cons to each. By sending our children to a primary Catholic school, we believe that they are getting a good foundation both spiritually and academically. Going to our parish school also connects us more closely to the faith community in which we belong. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the best things about Catholic school is the structure and discipline it provides but you won't see any nuns with rulers at our school. The teachers our children have had through the years have all been dedicated professionals who see their teaching as not just a job but a calling. They realize that they are helping to shape minds and souls, that teaching the whole child means addressing their spiritual needs as well as their academic needs. It is the reason we have chosen this road, because we know that both are important. Our children will always have a firm foundation because of their years spent at a Catholic school!</div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-36566783661099909262011-01-28T11:32:00.000-08:002011-01-28T11:41:14.734-08:00Auction Project 2011This is my third year working on our class auction project. The first two years we made a firepit which was purchased at Target.com and personalized by the students. I'm sure I posted the pictures here on my blog at the time. It was a big hit, both years. This year we wanted to try something different. We are going to create a window seat chest that will have on the top, embedded in epoxy, digital word "clouds" created by the students. These word clouds will describe all their favorite things, hence, our calling this project "My Favorite Things". My husband is getting ready to purchase the supplies, as he is making the wooden portion of the project. My assistant and I will be figuring out the sizing and placement of the word art for the top. We have a budget of about $350.00, so if we go over it is out of our pockets. <div><br /></div><div>I will keep you updated on this project and post last year's auction entries in a separate post. I know that I like to go to websites for ideas, so hopefully you will get some ideas from mine as well. </div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-38512598523636131252010-08-20T08:20:00.001-07:002010-08-20T08:39:58.813-07:00Time flies when you're Having FunI wish I could say I have a good excuse for being away for so long! I don't. I know that I really hate when I find a blog that hasn't been updated in forever, so I don't blame you if you haven't stuck around. I have been thinking about a direction for my blog and so far I haven't decided what I want to write about now. I stopped writing last summer due to a death in the family and I just felt like other things were more important. Weeks turned into months, and then gradually, so much time had passed that I actually forgot about this little piece of cyber real estate. If you have checked in from time to time to see what I was up to, God bless you. Especially you, Tammy. I love your blog! And you too Moody! I still read your blog all the time too! <br /><br />So, have a little patience (ha!) and we will try to get this thing up and running again. I think it's about time, don't you?Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-65149002830938160832009-11-06T22:01:00.000-08:002009-11-06T22:03:26.354-08:00Still HereI haven't updated in a while, but I am still here.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-83200561872704522522009-07-07T09:03:00.000-07:002009-07-07T10:04:58.544-07:00Lessons from the Garden<div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">May 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>:<br /></span><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgOpH5Rpg9gj6Blh3hP_4SiiUQ7_tN857EaQHW6UrI8RKRW60et1d7RVk-Jm80SGNweVRjaPoFPp1O5FMsKxVd9nlrUwDWwiBEesOu7NAwUf5qUpKgiccGLibwCvwt5a_ugalz1KGQj4/s1600-h/DSC_0773-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355750375675883506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgOpH5Rpg9gj6Blh3hP_4SiiUQ7_tN857EaQHW6UrI8RKRW60et1d7RVk-Jm80SGNweVRjaPoFPp1O5FMsKxVd9nlrUwDWwiBEesOu7NAwUf5qUpKgiccGLibwCvwt5a_ugalz1KGQj4/s400/DSC_0773-1.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">July 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>:</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"></p><p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4tdys3Uozg_Z8RJuMmdCDECgd7XXU0IJX-YY136tgV0OXZMKsMue2Pmh7ic7mqALxME3C-ogBpsfTldE60lS5Vfsql2dS83cRwhA512ebzt5Ne7Vb8iS0-fW062HuhOjO8oyfI7jvkY/s1600-h/DSC_0026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355749979436577330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4tdys3Uozg_Z8RJuMmdCDECgd7XXU0IJX-YY136tgV0OXZMKsMue2Pmh7ic7mqALxME3C-ogBpsfTldE60lS5Vfsql2dS83cRwhA512ebzt5Ne7Vb8iS0-fW062HuhOjO8oyfI7jvkY/s400/DSC_0026.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p>Gardening has been teaching me valuable lessons. </p><p>The first thing I've learned is PATIENCE. The first photo was taken around the time I planted them, the second photo taken just this morning. While there has been quite a spectacular change in size, there is just the tiniest evidence that one day we will be enjoying the fruits of the harvest. This relates to my spiritual life in many ways. It really is no wonder that many of the parables of Jesus referred to gardening. </p><p>Patience. It is a virtue, and nothing teaches patience more than waiting for 60-72 days for vegetables and fruit to grow and ripen. Each day when I go out to water, I check to see the progress of growth and each day I notice a small difference. Looking at the photos I can see a huge difference, it is a perspective that I think about with my spiritual life. Day by day I am growing in small ways and over time, I can look back and see how far I have come. Some days it seems that I have stopped growing or even gone backwards only to find that I have made progress, even if it is slow. </p><p>Another thing I've learned is how much we take for granted. In our society, we are in such a hurry to go places, if we get hungry we can always pull in to the nearest fast food place and order a hamburger. We can always stop at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WalMart</span> and get x,y,z that we need. But this process has caused me to wonder how society was when they didn't have McDonald's or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">WalMart</span>. There was a time when people grew their own food and lived on only what they could produce. I would be in serious trouble if I had to rely on my little garden patch for sustenance. Growing my own vegetables gives me such an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">appreciation</span> for the food that we are blessed to have on our table each day. It gives me an awareness of slowing down and enjoying life, at the pace of nature rather than the pace of society. </p><p>Because when you care for a plant every day and it takes two months for it to give you food, you really appreciate that. You see the process that goes into what it takes for a tomato to go from a small plant to yielding fruit, which is quite different than going to the store and buying it from the shelf. Many times those <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">tomatoes</span> have sat on my counter and ended up rotting. It is because I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. You can bet that these are not going to waste! </p><p>There is so much that can be learned from gardening. Patience. Thankfulness. An awareness of the amazing way that our world is created, seeing nature up close and being a part of it. It is a rewarding and very insightful venture.</p>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-62954702489851544342009-07-06T08:48:00.000-07:002009-07-06T14:24:23.656-07:00Don't Touch that Novena!I asked my son, soon to be in sixth grade at our Catholic parish school, if he knew what a Novena was. Sometimes I just randomly ask my kids questions to see if they know the answer and sometimes I do it strictly for amusement because if they don't know the answer, they are sure to make something up. This child is my most creative one and he has a very unique way of looking at the world. His answer? "A Novena is something that burns easily." Little did I know that he was on the right track. I just needed to fill in the blanks.<br /><br />The word Novena is a derivative of the number nine, a novena is a prayer lasting for nine days. This is a model of the first Christians, who after the Ascension of Our Lord, gathered in prayer in the upper room for nine days and on the tenth day, the Holy Spirit descended. A great wind filled the room and tongues of fire rested on their heads. This happened on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost. This event also marks the very first Novena! <br /><br />Ok, so now I'm seeing a connection between fire and prayer. My son is brilliant! <br /><br />Novenas can be divided into <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/novena.htm">categories.</a> There are novenas to Our Lord, our Lady, the saints and angels. It is also customary for the titular saint of the parish to be honored with nine nights of prayer. <br /><br />Novenas can also be perpetual. Instead of nine consecutive nights, they can be prayed every week. The <a href="http://www.cammonline.org/pages/novena.Eng.html">Miraculous Medal </a>Novena is often prayed in Catholic parishes every Monday. <br /><br />It is customary for Filipino churches to have a <a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/olph5a.htm">Perpetual Novena for Our Lady of Perpetual Help</a>, whose feast day is June 27th, which also happens to be my wedding anniversary!<br /><br />Novenas are a wonderful way to enrich your prayer life. I don't know if they can burn easily but I do know that anything is possible!Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-23212197351941787162009-06-27T15:36:00.000-07:002009-06-27T16:46:15.082-07:00It is Love at First Sight<div>I've noticed that there is such a difference between the way a little girl sees the world (or the United States, in this case) versus the way a boy sees it.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352144572940966834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0s5u7AF7MB4qVfM3oUugaha-CS3Ly-ODzxjmsWw6fltedsQHJAPg38y2dU67UJAZKhfbANPRv3c-Q1QPM_afrJtM_nNe3Mk14tbhifX5gTiMj_GuLkzX5bv6PkYODt4xBR-J19LZHelM/s400/DSC_0066.JPG" border="0" /><br />Case in point:<br /><br />My boys would find the states that most resemble guns and start to shoot each other. Just in case you were wondering, Florida, Idaho and Oklahoma make great guns. They would pick up these pieces and make shooting noises using a complex combination of spit and percussion from their mouths. I don't know but I think that boys are genetically wired to be able to produce that noise.<br /><br />In contrast, my sweet little girl sits down at the table. She starts to look at the puzzle and first notices all the pretty colors. Then, she dumps the pieces out and painstakingly puts them all back in the right spots. She even knows what some of the states are, which I think is very impressive for a six year old. Well, considering that her 11 year old brother just got done learning his states and capitals makes me think that she might have been listening just a little bit through the study sessions.<br /><br />Anyway. On to the story. While putting together the puzzle, she happens to discover that Nebraska and Utah are in love. Did you know that? See here, they are kissing:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqPpF5R6cqyLi4sV_V1O_Y3qbOafzaJuVEV21zwOybNMUhnbn2bTdDikNwTvqV6K_7tl9Nlnh8eIEaJmeBDmAuGs00OEokkpgis3wVDykWNeLEhZs9esnOT1p3z5UTXDmckQWghJ-vtU/s1600-h/DSC_0063.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352140507989808034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 360px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqPpF5R6cqyLi4sV_V1O_Y3qbOafzaJuVEV21zwOybNMUhnbn2bTdDikNwTvqV6K_7tl9Nlnh8eIEaJmeBDmAuGs00OEokkpgis3wVDykWNeLEhZs9esnOT1p3z5UTXDmckQWghJ-vtU/s400/DSC_0063.JPG" border="0" /></a>She had a very detailed fairy tale story to tell of the happenstance way that these two states ended up meeting and falling in love. She told me how Colorado and Wyoming stood in the way of Nebraska and Utah ever getting to meet. But by fate, one day they were the last two to be placed in the puzzle and that is how they met and fell in love. Well, actually, she says, Nebraska loved Utah but Utah did not love Nebraska back. Somehow, though, because every story she tells has a happy ending, Nebraska finally won over that stubborn Utah and they lived happily ever after.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Florida and Oklahoma are in a duel to the death.<br /><br />Boys and girls and their unique perspectives. Men really are from Mars, aren't they?</div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-43541121763727651212009-06-27T15:10:00.000-07:002009-06-27T15:45:07.839-07:00Bouncy HouseThe kids were begging Busy Woodshop Hubby to get out the bouncy house and set it up the other day. We saw it a few years ago at our local warehouse store and decided we needed it. It has provided LOTS and LOTS of fun over the past five years, I can honestly say we have gotten our money's worth. We get it out for birthdays, when friends come over, or just for the heck of it. Even the adults like it. Here is our most recent bouncy fun day: <div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352137379140278610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHS-uktz68vrrC50RCpnavWPf2FIJhExUXQVVyQU4orDl9bneSwy2Hl7tw5iwcf29Fd2IfIUGquvmbr3DNhIB97x2MrH7-GvyTOtjvaFRdEcaTH1-VPeHN-vsy3qF9Uv-Rrqeq0vO78M/s400/DSC_0037.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136786410732162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5B8NqJMoPJDABAxJx2UqFaM1IL9vzhyphenhyphenAgjivnGWv8tQspzEQywjAogxgwMrTJYanPKSDCTTq3W8kOKcisezbGsVEpTZIoG4wUvzLfLNFgX4aOLIawo67jrSiLrLRACymhUW3rxskOnQ/s400/DSC_0030.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352136789015363170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsxNXiC9jAC8Rg8zRXWaDB5J5khOcq4jXdSzHVXi789X7RYBjWzBV12CBMS1lY-YyP7NRkwWppvRUbsd86_bgBXqvxanuvYtT3ZuhlIlSYPqHaav01epU8VMAdzliKGB7ptWOVqhibiA/s400/DSC_0031.JPG" border="0" /></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352137368958179618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l85IGC8zwwWxOiviSmhUfTjONsEM2_8ue_aavscfjanFcw-TMh6BK4YQrvYkgg3RnSIYrCorZCkuW1LiDfCaca3fN2URS2kR7c68y9F-gxmd_-FnzWvknZJta1JNVj0nlEKEEGtqaxE/s400/DSC_0032.JPG" border="0" />Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-91512321225990203712009-06-18T22:36:00.000-07:002009-06-18T22:44:35.903-07:00Summer BeesThe bees are buzzing around here. Literally! The other morning I was getting ready in my bathroom and I heard a buzzing sound in my room. On further inspection, I noticed a little honey bee frantically beating him(her?)self up on my window trying to get out. I figured that when I went back downstairs I would get a paper cup and capture it to let it outside, when I was finished in the bathroom. Well, by the time I came out there were 7 bees in three of the windows, making a very loud combined humming sound. It was a little scary to say the least. I wondered how they all got in (the windows were open but the screens are on) and to have that many at once I wondered if I might have a problem. I went around capturing them all to let them out since I knew that hubby would get out the spray and zap them if I didn't help them outside. <br /><br />They were all let out safe and sound, but I never did find out how they got inside in the first place. We checked the attic and it was alright and there have been no more bees in the house since then. Maybe they were on a mission to free that first one since it took me so long to get it! <br /><br />I was outside checking around and didn't find any evidence of a beehive nearby. I guess for now the problem is solved.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-22552154310626976832009-06-11T14:23:00.000-07:002009-06-11T14:55:49.241-07:00Sister ChemistryOh the funniest thing happened last night. My sister just recently signed on to one of those dating match sites, and gave me a call to go over all her "potential" matches based on her personality profile and the type of person she is looking for. You know, basically the perfect man. I think she might have to settle for something slightly less but I'll be positive for her sake that there might be one more out there. However, I do believe that there is someone for everyone so let's hope that he is also registered at chemistry.com (and perfect for my sister!)<br /><br />So anyway, she wanted me to look at her profile and help her jazz it up a bit, and while I was in there to take a look at her potential guys to help her figure out which ones to write to.<br /><br />Well, we quickly discovered that we could both be signed on to her account at the same time (we live in different states). What fun! We started going down the list. "G" seemed nice and had quite a bit in common with her as far as his interests. She's been emailing with him to find out more information. I really like "G". Then another "G" also has shown some interest in her and she thinks he might also be a good possibility to meet in real life. He could be a good second choice. Can I tell you she's loving shopping for a date this way? I found my husband the old fashioned way but I guess you can find romance through the internet. It seems easy enough, and could save a lot of time by separating them out before she even has to meet them. Because after all at some point she will have to step out from behind the computer and actually meet one of these guys.<br /><br />I gave her my opinions on all the guys based on what they had written about themselves and what they were looking for, what I know about her and also just what my instincts told me. My sister has no common sense when it comes to men, and she will be the first to admit that. That's why our little devious plan just might work!<br /><br />Right away I told her to ditch "M" because he wants someone 'above and beyond' which indicated to me that he might just be a bit too picky. Besides he looked too pretty. He probably has some issues. Just sayin.<br /><br />Then there was "R" who is an engineer and I'm betting really smart. He seems nice enough but can he loosen the tie a little? Unless he has a huge sense of humor, he wouldn't be too happy with my sister because she's pretty off the wall. Think Ellen Degeneres crossed with Roseanne Barr and a little Carol Burnette and that's my sister. She can't be around someone who's too uptight. But maybe "R" has a wild side. You never know.<br /><br />There were a couple others and they all seemed nice and most of them weren't too bad looking. So we even have a plan C,D and E if we need it.<br /><br />She and I were both laughing at the idea that I was helping her compose the letters to these gentlemen and also rewriting her profile and just thinking that we were totally getting away with something.<br /><br />I was laughing that she totally trusted me with her log in information and thought just how tempting it could be for me to go in and change some of her answers. She is very trusting, isn't she? I wouldn't though. Probably.<br /><br />So far so good on the chemistry homefront. I'll keep you posted!Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-51616920874781339242009-06-07T21:55:00.000-07:002009-06-07T22:00:10.298-07:00It's About Time!That's what I'm telling myself today. It's about time for a new post. I find myself making the rounds of my favorite blogs, checking once, twice sometimes three times a day (yeah, I know I could just put them in my reader. I like to check myself, though!) And sometimes, I am rewarded with new content even two, three times a day. Some bloggers are great like that. I guess I'm not one of those. If I even have a 'readership' who checks my content I can be assured that I am checked on weekly these days. Not daily, or hourly like those crazy great bloggers out there that we are all wanting to know every detail of their lives. Oh, you know who they are. Don't you?<br /><br />Well, anyway if you don't, I'm not telling. Anytime soon anyway. I have to have some reason for you to come back, after all. It obviously isn't for my timely updates.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-86828816502191700122009-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:002009-05-17T19:59:33.093-07:00Sunday Landscape 101This is the reason I don't blog as much this time of year. Our yard is very high maintenance right now. The moles have started moving, the grass is growing, and the weeds grow like, well WEEDS. We spent the day outside today working on the overall appearance. The only mishap was when Shadow stepped on a sticky mouse trap (that dog does it every time!) Let's just say it's not pretty, I didn't get a picture of that. But here is what I did take pictures of:<br /><br /><div><div><div>I didn't bother raking up the petals. With the camilla petals all around it, the fountain looks very romantic:<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DTGYIAqgV5fJedVheyfkbxuPYRKWJbdoGhrt9cQAIsmZGjPPqL5DhdC8cyQLOgm9CChOwX8SCMwXO2XiQxRIeqkFFb0L_0dWgGCHzwdpPCDzWV0UmwUNfO_6FkcBd4r1PjvUz1CRzLY/s1600-h/DSC_0782.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336987143113470610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DTGYIAqgV5fJedVheyfkbxuPYRKWJbdoGhrt9cQAIsmZGjPPqL5DhdC8cyQLOgm9CChOwX8SCMwXO2XiQxRIeqkFFb0L_0dWgGCHzwdpPCDzWV0UmwUNfO_6FkcBd4r1PjvUz1CRzLY/s400/DSC_0782.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>The lawn near the front porch:<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cuPm7z4696INr8nvvOdjUH-rPfLzGOjtfuEsfknUkSJaHrFBByLgiWcRmlRYygaZkPhgMlL1iGzn9KcZa-HZV_4SzS8EnzdyEvj5IWWHbzSD2Q5UycI-DywyC7qdd3ZJKTgskelN_F8/s1600-h/DSC_0780-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336987137016156610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cuPm7z4696INr8nvvOdjUH-rPfLzGOjtfuEsfknUkSJaHrFBByLgiWcRmlRYygaZkPhgMlL1iGzn9KcZa-HZV_4SzS8EnzdyEvj5IWWHbzSD2Q5UycI-DywyC7qdd3ZJKTgskelN_F8/s400/DSC_0780-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> The back patio, the umbrella was my Mother's Day present:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLgMsGPx7gG6FuEsrBIJbCfHBbN-TS915LGX5HsipngcbjnX1rFjpGJSIcu5Zyq-OWZzmxIvrYkbaR9RrpGZ4krwW4f64NDq0SygeDrqo3yHSNbUm8tFinfTbXhy-C_I-YJIamwYMhdA/s1600-h/DSC_0778-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336987138480345122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLgMsGPx7gG6FuEsrBIJbCfHBbN-TS915LGX5HsipngcbjnX1rFjpGJSIcu5Zyq-OWZzmxIvrYkbaR9RrpGZ4krwW4f64NDq0SygeDrqo3yHSNbUm8tFinfTbXhy-C_I-YJIamwYMhdA/s400/DSC_0778-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Another view (look closely, Wild thing is setting the table for dinner):<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGF9ziMPFcu5iaENp0ZFO2PuIcpXVNg9b1mYskfIEPH_854u5NL9v6ObbQNbpcGAyT9OUhZBi5FqphORU7P6fKsneFGZEdIVpdac-2aR3FVS_0Gnk5DDdPXjjwUOCxIAz71vObrIj4Ko/s1600-h/DSC_0774-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336987134754958850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGF9ziMPFcu5iaENp0ZFO2PuIcpXVNg9b1mYskfIEPH_854u5NL9v6ObbQNbpcGAyT9OUhZBi5FqphORU7P6fKsneFGZEdIVpdac-2aR3FVS_0Gnk5DDdPXjjwUOCxIAz71vObrIj4Ko/s400/DSC_0774-1.JPG" border="0" /></a>Our "garden" so far (tomatos, red pepper, strawberries):<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D0CWOJNQhZ41o1X4vHFaAXfeUJYrb9a7KSPdeJLJ5EkrCwEHYv5LqEiUBoI_XK3Tnq2sBK7tsN69p2i6M7AhzRJcw9Shu2mVqm4D1Bpo6LBhyphenhyphensu3tdWjERLIftN6kvbQmnuN_8eEkYA/s1600-h/DSC_0773-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336975841296254194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1D0CWOJNQhZ41o1X4vHFaAXfeUJYrb9a7KSPdeJLJ5EkrCwEHYv5LqEiUBoI_XK3Tnq2sBK7tsN69p2i6M7AhzRJcw9Shu2mVqm4D1Bpo6LBhyphenhyphensu3tdWjERLIftN6kvbQmnuN_8eEkYA/s400/DSC_0773-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The upper lawn (Mt. Hood in the background):<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIetRR7l2x3TAZMzhqIx6l19uI5wtGP1ueRv9htuICWbBu9zaKnBWQtxg-89-znityIR-4uO8Mjxfx1jDERIbtf-OWywx5icrBVozkjKUKYAqfwLJx1Rjz85PLRpFo3yA6OXv-TdWUrg/s1600-h/DSC_0765-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336975837249047298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIetRR7l2x3TAZMzhqIx6l19uI5wtGP1ueRv9htuICWbBu9zaKnBWQtxg-89-znityIR-4uO8Mjxfx1jDERIbtf-OWywx5icrBVozkjKUKYAqfwLJx1Rjz85PLRpFo3yA6OXv-TdWUrg/s400/DSC_0765-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />My lavender "field" (about seven plants, this is year two):<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphi1CWRmfC-4ly_a-pGJBYOZmTTkYLRTfFfN_WzbtiklqGkqUlQsU7SUQV8rZNO60z39PduGVxRXOKA5kwj9wbEZ1Lzk1Sma6LTm5z93EVoeY3S_M7I_UfnSuEgxbz9mxb86Nr7SbQ2I/s1600-h/DSC_0763-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336975833648163346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphi1CWRmfC-4ly_a-pGJBYOZmTTkYLRTfFfN_WzbtiklqGkqUlQsU7SUQV8rZNO60z39PduGVxRXOKA5kwj9wbEZ1Lzk1Sma6LTm5z93EVoeY3S_M7I_UfnSuEgxbz9mxb86Nr7SbQ2I/s400/DSC_0763-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336989060641380802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1gSQSAGXMjatt5vWoC_pAI5NItN5iyIM6t5clXsV8A7WHZIw8qhTKsFWiPqo6lPtPTgX_jvjSO9OeUo9EraSI_f5kr3oNriFzROBCcpoQRmak2O2T2L9WrN8rxb-l6JeJjcoO6dhz5A/s400/DSC_0788.JPG" border="0" /><br />From the street:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9HsPZHaS8g9-6ysKed6lb6OTLZyx1yjIU1VmCGKgiU3v31kisl5_bQqGeV44J3lO7qmAFRsMha0fwRsAKwxlOGa_Qwb3WQuF_YtkOkx5qO3-laNL-0aOjwt1qcEOVDdwEUkiA4tdOlg/s1600-h/DSC_0762-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336973993230063538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9HsPZHaS8g9-6ysKed6lb6OTLZyx1yjIU1VmCGKgiU3v31kisl5_bQqGeV44J3lO7qmAFRsMha0fwRsAKwxlOGa_Qwb3WQuF_YtkOkx5qO3-laNL-0aOjwt1qcEOVDdwEUkiA4tdOlg/s400/DSC_0762-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> From the front:</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336989067151818018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzguTO8ivAHkvxpHeBuj4XWme5oDquQnN6LTciYHityvDwqZ1dEsZ2XtScVkjIgbKpUyw0_C9-y3bTUKOE_hKdPrF00cDOia63hJrqQydvpReBEUoIhowLAq02SP8FzQiupfjE1PLuxJs/s400/DSC_0790.JPG" border="0" /><br />My snowball plant, 3 years old:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTCK78dMiV0WBsRQRGx8iMFDRgQPF02bEJ9o3kijbtizKWbcdDmXQkGSMlDbCjrlTBngHEV_apuhhXFG9qUMFhdY-_EBtwZskgJNjJg9MA0wRq1eclsGANNRrP8Jk2qa0feoyIw99KWI/s1600-h/DSC_0761-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336973990055425586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTCK78dMiV0WBsRQRGx8iMFDRgQPF02bEJ9o3kijbtizKWbcdDmXQkGSMlDbCjrlTBngHEV_apuhhXFG9qUMFhdY-_EBtwZskgJNjJg9MA0wRq1eclsGANNRrP8Jk2qa0feoyIw99KWI/s400/DSC_0761-1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />My little flower garden (not much is up yet):<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFktIUcj4yy9LRRZPLKxyh3N3BOWW6FEWT1tvei0WOKQhlEin4im-WcdJoKqcFC2RJphEQZG_lvULbW335NJC_Ii0o_fXsVrGyyt0Esc9aJOcOob_2nCYmukb2RpJl-1mQ9StS-NGI9IE/s1600-h/DSC_0758-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336973985000861314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFktIUcj4yy9LRRZPLKxyh3N3BOWW6FEWT1tvei0WOKQhlEin4im-WcdJoKqcFC2RJphEQZG_lvULbW335NJC_Ii0o_fXsVrGyyt0Esc9aJOcOob_2nCYmukb2RpJl-1mQ9StS-NGI9IE/s400/DSC_0758-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> The lawn from another angle:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ULp6R2yGtFEqDT5npx-G0XVS1zJJTf2eOeMmtOH4o10Wyx14-3adL5d4vH8LHD9b6stHWAPpSeYF0Nv3FKL3U50Vyb-en8VmHkgZDW5ubdGOmz9BUwLoljylPvYZwnWcrMrK0jSNGJg/s1600-h/DSC_0757-1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336973985913751426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ULp6R2yGtFEqDT5npx-G0XVS1zJJTf2eOeMmtOH4o10Wyx14-3adL5d4vH8LHD9b6stHWAPpSeYF0Nv3FKL3U50Vyb-en8VmHkgZDW5ubdGOmz9BUwLoljylPvYZwnWcrMrK0jSNGJg/s400/DSC_0757-1.JPG" border="0" /></a> The view from the garage (I love all the different trees: weeping cedar, maple, blue spruce, magnolia, all lined with a row of junipers):<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336989057757043698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-T0UPpwG4oXPD1kaQVfz-YBWt-5inqGGZ_dt7FC5qXeTcLethmTOFFFlhejy2Hn-pAGPh6z61N7JShn42dAaz12vjKVcQ-TzcxdlD0uZiZred28SpwEdAQHVqdOuve3Z18MNkLBOGeQ/s400/DSC_0785.JPG" border="0" /><br />Well, I hope you can see why I haven't been so prolific on the blog. I have been busy working outside. I love gardening, so I thought today I could combine the two. Happy Sunday to you!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-12298187881324236442009-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:45:25.503-07:00Conversations in the CarIf you were a 'fly on the wall' in my car, this is what you would have heard today:<br /><br />(Princess, 6 years old) "MOM! MOOOOMMm! Brother won't let me talk. Why does he get to talk and I don't? How come you listen to him but not me? When will it be my turn?"<br /><br />(Mom) "Just a minute. You interrupted, Brother was talking first and when he's finished then you can talk, ok?"<br /><br />(Princess) "OK. But I just want to say one thing."<br /><br />(Mom to Brother) "Do you mind if princess has a turn? You have been talking for the last three miles. Let's give her a turn now, ok?"<br /><br />(Brother) "O.K. But she didn't say "Excuse me."<br /><br />(Mom to Princess) "Can you say excuse me, please? Brother is right, that is the polite way to show you have something to say."<br /><br />(Princess) "O.K. Excuse me?"<br /><br />(Mom) "Yes?"<br /><br />(Princess) "I forgot what it was I wanted to say."Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-48910014626021985192009-05-13T06:52:00.001-07:002009-05-13T06:55:26.145-07:00Experience + Knowledge = WisdomWordless Wednesday<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBICeNtSE3g5vRKN85f3yuJNzN_y06y2DUwtPE6QrbCLxvuzqm2s-3g0s0DNaSkHQ-qzolUSCVxyWdAO2iwFwxUmNBuIMPGMWM1gH2JeJUQsSCehKUURWFZdzTcgweSM3PGTZkwsWnKoM/s1600-h/DSC_0764.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335306596658724818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBICeNtSE3g5vRKN85f3yuJNzN_y06y2DUwtPE6QrbCLxvuzqm2s-3g0s0DNaSkHQ-qzolUSCVxyWdAO2iwFwxUmNBuIMPGMWM1gH2JeJUQsSCehKUURWFZdzTcgweSM3PGTZkwsWnKoM/s400/DSC_0764.JPG" border="0" /></a>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-76381778537247758502009-05-10T15:37:00.001-07:002009-05-10T16:06:52.694-07:00It's a Dog's LifeIn this picture, Shadow is multi-tasking as a pillow. He laid here still like this for a long time-- Princess was really asleep:<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdIjbP9HvsF-OB5bIKgwEYYgWaTlejSOQvUIkSWkMjOvrXE34uZT44qWSt0bd5wlbLMh2UZOb83vAniPKs7nmhFqecnahR6TLZgrnzW9ANv2-cuJn_PhkY9qZKjSBy6_qLEy0rAp5cnc/s1600-h/DSC_0783.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334329292558341154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdIjbP9HvsF-OB5bIKgwEYYgWaTlejSOQvUIkSWkMjOvrXE34uZT44qWSt0bd5wlbLMh2UZOb83vAniPKs7nmhFqecnahR6TLZgrnzW9ANv2-cuJn_PhkY9qZKjSBy6_qLEy0rAp5cnc/s400/DSC_0783.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p><div>He has perfected the sad puppy dog eyes (which explains why he's so fat!): </div><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7revRZK7kbafu9TezDTfxht2Uw0c3PMMjJasgrBmLTLzwS_POwcZHZ6Sr6giEZWMPrerchC71Iq55vrU-iCwgzduYWgr1WQUoLTyBSBFI9xI9OW6dn20Tn2Uaur6g4bQhfuhuY9BEIk/s1600-h/DSC_0771.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334329285298142434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7revRZK7kbafu9TezDTfxht2Uw0c3PMMjJasgrBmLTLzwS_POwcZHZ6Sr6giEZWMPrerchC71Iq55vrU-iCwgzduYWgr1WQUoLTyBSBFI9xI9OW6dn20Tn2Uaur6g4bQhfuhuY9BEIk/s400/DSC_0771.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p>Shadow looking for dropped food:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqb3IepZcWt8qmHQruzNkKf_bQXbaYVeQU4EZGqQFL1VkwoMytw-Mju1uUCevd7NfDjwxzjlMEW1oTwCMjDhe5e9dUPprR1fSUxWOa41wVI9rns4CFwTM-uG5PskRZqsZlStfWUWVCdsg/s1600-h/DSC_0773.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334328500049121954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqb3IepZcWt8qmHQruzNkKf_bQXbaYVeQU4EZGqQFL1VkwoMytw-Mju1uUCevd7NfDjwxzjlMEW1oTwCMjDhe5e9dUPprR1fSUxWOa41wVI9rns4CFwTM-uG5PskRZqsZlStfWUWVCdsg/s400/DSC_0773.JPG" border="0" /></a> </p><p></p><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYvUiV0x8xQldWZdyzdsiFY4zzI2on81gH78oVSs-r61yS1tWRPT1uuSZbJVNNDHn2OYHMux9ZS7tfHwGxXgD26J-c5JoK-2Q8LV9w6-m9oy0IdBK0MRXghUTzCHFJmIjgI25OKLzAh4/s1600-h/DSC_0757.JPG"><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334329280235346418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYvUiV0x8xQldWZdyzdsiFY4zzI2on81gH78oVSs-r61yS1tWRPT1uuSZbJVNNDHn2OYHMux9ZS7tfHwGxXgD26J-c5JoK-2Q8LV9w6-m9oy0IdBK0MRXghUTzCHFJmIjgI25OKLzAh4/s400/DSC_0757.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>Daisy thinks she is a person. She even sits like a person sometimes.<br />She also thinks she can read (or maybe it's the candy laying on the book she's after!) <div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4WxpN4g1imi4onL39eZCgxCTuzdhDCSafn3LuXJA5EiJYPpK8z-H5GHgFghC4L2iKElzm_L_SkkoCuzjZ3468c2_gp3lUE0vLa-VTfQbGrKo3RLe0IhHZLo4tdE9RUtIp67ZrBmZn18/s1600-h/DSC_0756.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334328506252990050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4WxpN4g1imi4onL39eZCgxCTuzdhDCSafn3LuXJA5EiJYPpK8z-H5GHgFghC4L2iKElzm_L_SkkoCuzjZ3468c2_gp3lUE0vLa-VTfQbGrKo3RLe0IhHZLo4tdE9RUtIp67ZrBmZn18/s400/DSC_0756.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Always an excuse for a nap. The dogs like to cuddle with anyone who stays still longer than 30 seconds (Ariel and Shadow):<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334330731242690466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LhNcvfw1eRVuWkEwCM0WfcCGIW_AuhVYl6Bdf2M0alnh-UD89eeqnH0yN5EXeswjb1u4AxSNKe0GzCXMhx4oRk264XTCDtk4GsNfaNmAFzATfC5lMXXLmcjfjPvMct9lyR_WAJfnMnU/s400/DSC_0779.JPG" border="0" /> </div><div align="center">ZZZZZZZZ</div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">The wide angle shot:</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334333659995337410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLsle0Ywqzmp_Ze8SczYR9DL7-2EHPjwZV2MhMDIzbJOhpj5H_4viPQvlAm3ckdiCofASsxaq0HH1PPgQgNcaYARRPGJahQphikoUXzNXzwovasRQBH7kygbjr1RuKj9DSpeRcjJfG5o/s400/DSC_0777.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-6892374500765224402009-05-10T15:24:00.001-07:002009-05-10T15:36:44.275-07:00Mother's Day BakingI love to bake, and since I saw these Hershey's Cinnamon Chips in the store the other day I thought I wo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVwjFasNnP6Hf98hBROh-9fW9z-cxXAujIQOU20sRqylaF1xDTFl6so-XL2zOV0iav7GTlVh0aKmRLM4bcRMe5CD66xb6kI_1K_7c98_eO4Ns_C6WgGW6Si1HVRQqJ9cVGfyy2zxkXdI/s1600-h/DSC_0860.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334326113878818802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVwjFasNnP6Hf98hBROh-9fW9z-cxXAujIQOU20sRqylaF1xDTFl6so-XL2zOV0iav7GTlVh0aKmRLM4bcRMe5CD66xb6kI_1K_7c98_eO4Ns_C6WgGW6Si1HVRQqJ9cVGfyy2zxkXdI/s400/DSC_0860.JPG" border="0" /></a>uld try them.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies</span><br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened<br />1 cup packed light brown sugar<br />1/3 cup granulated sugar<br />2 eggs<br />1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats<br />1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips<br />3/4 cup raisins<br />Directions:1. Heat oven to 350°F. 2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet. 3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.BAR VARIATION: Spread batter into lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. About 3 dozen bars.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazXtVs2AYSdSSjJ6JEOHqIXB7M5O_n56d760r1_gda3MgrcGbRqtq3ZIvMnFm24on-ZDe3MQSiKWg5a3lQ4InYv7OR1KaJk0OfDr27EL1mfaDBeY-vGXb0YXOM3sLLZciCbJcF14GK-s/s1600-h/DSC_0865.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334326107622337650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazXtVs2AYSdSSjJ6JEOHqIXB7M5O_n56d760r1_gda3MgrcGbRqtq3ZIvMnFm24on-ZDe3MQSiKWg5a3lQ4InYv7OR1KaJk0OfDr27EL1mfaDBeY-vGXb0YXOM3sLLZciCbJcF14GK-s/s400/DSC_0865.JPG" border="0" /></a>They taste great! For more great recipes, visit <a href="http://http//www.hersheys.com/recipes/home.asp">Hershey's website.</a>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-43011613661757338522009-05-09T18:01:00.000-07:002009-05-09T18:02:45.498-07:00Happy Mother's Day from Fr. CorapiThis Sunday we once again have the joy of celebrating Mothers Day. It is certainly fitting enough that this falls in the month of May, the month the Church dedicates to the Mother of Jesus and our Spiritual Mother. It s a beautiful month dedicated to what is perhaps the most beautiful reality I can imagine mothers.<br /><br />In the often misguided and morally confused society we live in, the vocation and blessing of being a mother isn t esteemed highly enough by many individuals that are so preoccupied with making a living and accumulating material things. Sometimes motherhood isn t respected enough by men. Even more baffling sometimes women don t themselves value this calling and honor as they ought. As far as I m concerned, it would be hard to imagine a more noble, more necessary, and more beautiful calling in life.<br /><br />Moms, only in Heaven will you realize just how pleasing you are to God. You have collaborated with God our Father in bringing new life into the world. You have given our heavenly Father children, and these children He treasures more than you could ever imagine.<br /><br /> Mother Perhaps the most beautiful word in all of language. It expresses life. It expresses love. It expresses cooperation with God. It speaks of something that will never end.<br /><br />One day, moms, you ll be honored by God himself for your many sacrifices. For now, accept our thanks, our love, and our tribute. We salute you, Moms, this day and for all eternity.<br />God bless you for all you ve done for us.<br /><br />In Jesus Love through Mary our Mother,<br />Fr. John CorapiRosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-41327156824961871912009-05-05T12:44:00.000-07:002009-05-05T13:00:13.335-07:00Beautiful MusicLast night, we attended my middle school son's Jazz band concert. He has only been playing the saxophone since September, but already he has made great strides in catching up with the other band students. He began in Band as an elective, and quickly was invited to join the Jazz band, which is a more 'elite' group of kids, both middle school and high schoolers who get up really early in the morning four days a week and practice with the wonderful band teacher who, I am sure, does not get paid nearly what she is worth. <br /><br />She has done marvelous things with this group of kids. I hope she reveled in the appreciative applause last night. Those kids sounded just amazing.<br /><br />I was so proud of my son, watching him play-- knowing how far he has come in such a short while.<br /><br />Then, I thought of something else. I thought about how for months I have been hearing only his portion of the music, all by itself. We love hearing him practice (except not when I'm on the phone!) every day and many of the songs he has practiced get stuck in our head and we find ourselves humming them out of the blue. <br /><br />But somehow it was by listening to the entire ensemble play these same pieces altogether and hearing them for the first time in that context that it seemed to me that is how the Body of Christ is also. We each have our own unique talent, given to us for a higher purpose. When we combine our gifts we can make such beautiful music.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-28722554770190868612009-04-29T12:45:00.000-07:002009-04-29T13:00:17.668-07:00My name is Rose, and I am a bloucher......That would be ME. A blogging sloucher, or "bloucher". I think I made up the term but I read so many blogs I wouldn't necessarily trust my memory that I've never seen that word before.<br /><br />This is the time of year that my blog goes right down the tubes. It coincides with the sun coming back out, the plants starting to grow, and my need to get moving and start shedding the winter weight that seemed to pile on so easily.<br /><br />Spring is springing here and it makes it tough to sit and type all the wonderful blog posts that I have running around in my head. It's true-- I think of such witty and original posts that for some strange reason, never make it to the written form. By the time I sit down, all the words have somehow sat too long in the unrefrigerated part of my brain and have turned into a big soggy mess of brain goo. But I amuse myself while I'm out there pulling weeds. I guess it's not all for nothing.<br /><br />So, I went to the doctor this week for some good old-fashioned poking and prodding. I'm trying to figure out this perimenopausal body I find myself in these days. Nothing works the way it should and I can't tell the difference between what is 'normal' and what is a red flag for going to the doctor. I'm sure they think I'm a classic hypochondriac.<br /><br />Ok, so I call the advice nurse and this is how stupid I sounded. "Hello-- I'm calling about a few symptoms I've been having lately. I'm gaining weight right in the abdominal area. A lot. And, I haven't had a period in three months."<br /><br />silent pause.<br /><br />"NO, I know what it sounds like, but I am not pregnant! Also, I have been feeling light-headed, having headaches, mood-swings and shaky after eating."<br /><br />Basically, a train wreck.<br /><br />Or normal.<br /><br />I gave about two pints of blood for testing and a urine sample, and will see my doctor again next week to find out which.<br /><br />I told my husband that going through perimenopause is like having to play a game you used to know but all the rules changed and nobody told you what they were.<br /><br />I keep telling myself this is a natural process. It does help a little.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-48676598773122594292009-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:002009-04-14T12:15:33.356-07:00Wanted: Experienced JugglerI need some help in the multi-tasking department. Instead, something had to take a back seat and it was the blog. If you notice, the last time I posted it was a week ago.<br /><br />In the beginning of the week, I had quite a bit of busy work to do. First, I had to plan the menu and shopping for our Easter dinner, which we held on Saturday since my sister couldn't come on Sunday. We opted for a traditional and simple Easter feast, which included a spiral sliced ham, cheesy mashed potatoes, asparagus, a tossed salad and a cute bunny cake decorated by our five year old.<br /><br />In order for us to have a place to eat the Easter dinner, it was necessary for me to clean off the dining room table. Trust me when I say that this is not an easy job. Because we only use this room for special occasions, the rest of the time the table gets used for junk piling. Whenever I come into the house with extra papers, bags, boxes, you name it-- it goes on the dining room table and is promptly forgotten about. I am always amazed at how quickly the clutter piles up and becomes out of control. I can clutter up the entire 102" long table. A talent of which I should not be so proud.<br /><br />Then, I went to the salon for a much-needed hair appointment. It has been almost a year since I last had it cut. My new stylist is fabulous! She made my hair do things that is scientifically impossible. The layers made it look much thicker than it really is, and the curls stayed put all day long! I just wish I could style it the way she did.<br /><br />The doggies also had their spa day. They needed to have their coats trimmed since they have begun shedding and I don't like to vacuum every single day.<br /><br />Then we had some outdoor sprucing and gardening to do. The weeds have started to grow with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">vengeance</span>, and since we had a couple of nice sunny days, we took advantage of the weather and got busy. We mowed, weeded, fertilized, and had the roof sprayed for moss. Then, we went to the store and bought some containers for planting. So far we have planted strawberries and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tomatoes</span>.<br /><br />I sent our Easter Mass cards out to the grandparents. I always get them from the <a href="http://www.oblatesusa.org/mami/apl.aspx?path=root/momi/GiftsofPrayer/appeals/EASTER#cards">Missionary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Oblates</span>.</a> I love their cards! For a small donation, I usually get a rosary as well. I have quite a collection of Oblate rosaries. They are great for giving or keeping.<br /><br />I shopped around and found a cute little Easter outfit for the princess, a pink gingham dress with a cute little sweater to match. I forgot how much I love gingham. My mom used to dress us in it when we were little. It is just adorable.<br /><br />While I was shopping, I picked up the Easter basket goodies. My children understand the meaning of Easter but it is fun having a basket to come home to after the Easter morning Mass.<br /><br />So there was the first half of my week. Busy, busy, until Holy Thursday, when we tried to slow things down a bit.<br /><br />On Friday, we ended the school week with shadow Stations which the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> graders did an awesome job on. I ended up staying for both performances. In between I happened to remember that Friday was the first day of the <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm">Divine Mercy Novena</a>, so I said the chaplet while I waited. In the spirit of Good Friday, we kept our electronics and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">tv</span> off, to spend time in quiet reflection.<br /><br />On Saturday, we had a birthday party to go to and then home to cook and serve our Easter dinner. The day went by really fast. Early Sunday morning we all went to Mass, then out for breakfast and the book store, where I stocked up on gardening magazines and a new cookbook. That was my Easter treat!<br /><br />We spent the rest of Sunday relaxing and watching the rain fall. We had our Easter egg hunt inside the house!<br /><br />Hoping that your Holy week and Easter were wonderful!Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2232338355892775616.post-59061645824165276682009-04-05T11:44:00.000-07:002009-04-06T12:41:43.723-07:00Palm Sunday<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZvVfOpPHt2asloS8SwXGa4tclKcXvYRMJiso43fOdLAPJRXDlPNtP2ptpaBReSTj8pAlbqw8EwdGz5W2e6yv2wXXmZTcLv3G1W1ndY43WpqvkYnxmPchyphenhyphenNYlvz8FKR0rBbOreQkMuDY/s1600-h/palmsunday.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321652218945475442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 394px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZvVfOpPHt2asloS8SwXGa4tclKcXvYRMJiso43fOdLAPJRXDlPNtP2ptpaBReSTj8pAlbqw8EwdGz5W2e6yv2wXXmZTcLv3G1W1ndY43WpqvkYnxmPchyphenhyphenNYlvz8FKR0rBbOreQkMuDY/s400/palmsunday.bmp" border="0" /></a><em> Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! </em></div><em><div align="center"><br /></div></em><div align="left">Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, a day in which Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the week before His death and resurrection. It marks the beginning of Holy week. We begin Mass at the back of the church where we each receive a blessed palm. We process in together and then we will listen to the Gospel account of the Passion of Christ. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Because this Mass is very long and very crowded, we arrived early for a seat and to spend some time in prayer. Since the weather was beautiful, and we had some extra time, I decided to take the younger two out to pray the Stations of the Cross. </div><div align="left"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHMhWoE1QJUoUiDqIquAKKaWHt-mlHpX3o1A9VWMMaDL5qSaebBuZMbZqu8mmqD4dKF162ww0nKKGjlGtfm9PP4kVODQ759v5XMuqXhulWczynLXYqTKHGD0YOnyv_YYtNjsAYNkp00U/s1600-h/stationsforkids.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321654840544703874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 172px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHMhWoE1QJUoUiDqIquAKKaWHt-mlHpX3o1A9VWMMaDL5qSaebBuZMbZqu8mmqD4dKF162ww0nKKGjlGtfm9PP4kVODQ759v5XMuqXhulWczynLXYqTKHGD0YOnyv_YYtNjsAYNkp00U/s400/stationsforkids.gif" border="0" /></a>We used the resource, <strong><em>Stations of the Cross for Children</em></strong>, which is a wonderful book of devotions on the way of the Cross. My 11 year old led us in the prayers for each station. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to share the devotions of the Stations of the Cross with their children. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">From the Catholic Encyclopedia, on the custom of palm branches from a liturgical standpoint, it says this:</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"The bishop or priest asks God to bless the branches of palm or olive, that they may be a protection to all places into which they may be brought, that the right hand of God may expell all adversity, bless and protect all who dwell in them, who have been redeemed by our Lord Jesus Christ. </div><div align="left"><br />Palm branches have been used by all nations as an emblem of joy and victory over enemies; in Christianity as a sign of victory over the flesh and the world according to Psalm 91:13; hence especially associated with the memory of the martyrs. The palms blessed on Palm Sunday were used in the procession of the day, then taken home by the faithful and used as a sacramental. They were preserved in prominent places in the house. On the Lower Rhine the custom exists of decorating the grave with blessed palms. From the blessed palms the ashes are procured for Ash Wednesday. "</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Here is a web resource which has links and other information about <a href="http://www.churchyear.net/palmsunday.html">Palm Sunday.</a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div>Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09364977536336042000noreply@blogger.com0