Friday Fragments

~ Is it Friday already?  This week really flew by!  Since the teachers in my school district went back on Monday, we've had meetings, meetings, meetings!  

~  New/transfer students register this morning.  This is a little different than past years, so it's going to be interesting to see how many students actually come in this time.

~  YS is finishing his first week of school already.  So far, so good!

~  CH went back to work on Monday.  It's amazing how far the medical field has come in the 10 years since I had my gall bladder out.  No diet restrictions and back to work in a couple of days, as opposed to 10 days when I had mine out.

~  Band booster meetings:  What can I say?  We had a meeting on Tuesday, and it went very smoothly.  We got a lot done in about an hour and a half.

~  We had our the rail on our front porch stained.  What a difference it made!  No pictures; it's dark and I just thought about taking a picture, so it wouldn't do me any good to go out now and take one!

~  CH, YS, & I saw Harry Potter last weekend, and ran into my big brother & my SIL at the theater.  Am I the only geek who cried at the end?  (I know I'm not, 'cause my SIL said she did, too!)  I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, there may be another generation of Potter/Weasley children at Hogwarts to provide entertainment for us!

~ Hope everybody has a good weekend!  We've got a busy one planned, so it's gonna go by pretty fast!

Head over to Mrs. 4444's to link up and see how everybody else's week went!

Food for Thought

One of my SILs had the following as her FB status:

An old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, & truth." The boy thought about it, and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed."

(I told you it was "food for thought"!)

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Join Joyce with the Hodgepodge!  Click on the button, cut & paste the questions, then answer the questions.  Don't forget to link up!

1. July is National Ice Cream month...your favorite flavor? Soft served, hand dipped, or frozen yogurt...which do you prefer? And technically yogurt is not ice cream but its hot outside so I'll let that slide for today.

Cookie dough.  There's something about the textures, like a party in my mouth!  I prefer soft served.

2. When you travel do you tend to pack too much or too little? 

The times that I've traveled, I think I've taken just enough.  It's better to take too little than too much; you can always buy what you need!

3. What's your favorite cleaning product? 

Right now I would have to say Easy Off oven cleaner.  I had no idea that it did a great job without turning on your oven!  I have to include my glass stove top cleaner for cleaning the window in the oven door.  I didn't have to put a whole lot of elbow grease into getting my oven looking like new!

4. Which is the greater tragedy-an innocent person imprisoned or a guilty person set free? Explain. 

Okay, Joyce:  you always have to throw in a hard one!  Both are tragic, for sure.  I would dare say that more guilty people are set free than innocent people imprisoned.

5. What's the longest trip you've taken by car? 

Tennessee to Texas.  In a car with 9 siblings and my parents.  No air conditioning and no radio.  

I had to check google maps to confirm that it was the longest, and it was.  Coming in a close second is Tn. to Rochester, Mn.   This was on an AFS Short-Term Exchange trip when I was a junior in high school.  But, it was on a bus, so I guess that wouldn't count anyway! 

6. tennis-golf-canoeing-biking...pick one. 

Tennis.  I love to watch, I love to play; although I've had to hang my tennis racket up for a while.

7. What sound drives you crazy? 

When I was young, my brother (who is 3 years older) was a drummer in the band.  He used to beat on anything, and I mean anything.  Used to drive me absolutely bonkers.  

When cars go by with their bass up so loud that it shakes the windows, it's very disturbing.  Why do youngsters think everybody else wants to hear the bass in their car?

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

How's this for random:  It's HOT, y'all!  That's all I got.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...Whatever

The title of this post was my FB post for yesterday.  It was back to work for me, and it felt like I had just been gone for a long weekend.
On the way to school, I passed the SRO (School Resource Officer) who had a truck pulled over.  After I got to school and saw him, I asked him if he pulled the guy over for speeding, 'cause if he had, I was going to slow down on that road from now on.  I tend to go a little too fast on that road; it's hard to go the speed limit!
I'm determined to have a good attitude this year.  Last year was rough for me in that department for some reason.  I told a couple of the teachers that I will have a good attitude this year; they were surprised when I told them I didn't have a good one last year.  I'm glad it didn't show!
Honestly, I really like my job.  I can't imagine doing anything else.  Even with the paperwork, which seems to get worse every year.  Even without the appreciation after bending over backwards to make sure a child gets the help he should get.
I saw one of my students this morning who is ready to be dismissed.  That's what makes it worth it.  Well, that and the smiles that I get most days from most of my students.  And the hugs!  There's nothing like a child coming up to you, just needing a hug.
The worst part of the day was:  no internet.  I managed to get my room back in order and print out a couple of forms that didn't require the internet.  You don't realize how much you depend on the internet until it's not available. 
The best part of the day:  seeing my co-workers at one of my schools.  There have been some changes:  1 teacher transferred, 1 retired, and 1 moved out of state.  For those vacancies, 2 of last year's assistants filled them, and a new teacher filled the other one.  The counselor retired at the end of last year but she walked in the door this morning.  I asked her if she forgot she retired, and she said she's coming back as an assistant!  At the end of last year, the staff took up money to present her with as a gift.  Yesterday during our meeting, she made it clear that she was not returning the money!
This school is very fortunate that most of our assistants are retired teachers; it makes for a very strong staff. 
Today is another day of meetings, but at my other school.  Can't wait to see what changes have been made there!

Friday Fragments

To see what everybody else has been up to this week, visit Mrs. 4444 and click on the links.

* It's my last week of "freedom".  Back to the coal mines on Monday for a week of Professional Development before the kids go back on the 2nd.

* I got an e-mail from Ms. Principal yesterday.  Because I tried to be a smart aleck and not put my name on the evaluation after the reading conference, I was on a list to not get credit for that day.  Hold the phone:  I have a certificate.  Guess I'll have to spend part of my day today getting that cleared up.

* CH is doing well after his semi-emergency gall bladder surgery.  He was able to eat yesterday; bland things, but food just the same.

* I saw on the news the other day that a bear who had a plastic food container stuck on his head for weeks was finally found and tranquilized.  When the container was taken off, the bear weighed 115 pounds as opposed to the 200 that it should have weighed.  There had been some sightings of him beginning on 28 June.  It's amazing that he was still alive!

* I spent Saturday at church listening to Dr. Scott Hahn speak. He is an ordained Presbyterian Minister who is a convert to Catholicism.  He talked about his conversion and about how to defend our faith.  He struck me as being very intellectual, but still very personable.  He was incredible!

* We had some overnight guest Saturday.  They were on their way to the BMW National Rally, which CH was suppose to go to.  Anyway, the guests didn't leave until around noon on Sunday, which meant that I missed early and late mass.  No problem; the university close by has a Catholic Center with a 5:00 p.m. mass.  I'm really glad that I thought to check out the summer schedule, because they don't have a 5:00 mass; it's an 8:00 p.m. Mass.  I have to admit, it was kind of nice.  There weren't a whole lot of people there, and, because I didn't realize there wouldn't be very many people there, I ended up having a front row seat, even though I sat in the 3rd row.

* Today is my last day to be able to go to Daily Mass...and breakfast with "the old people".  MS asked me why I go to Daily Mass, and I told him one reason was that it allowed me to spend some special time with my parents.  I'm really going to miss going to breakfast with the group, too.  I absolutely love talking to them.

*  I snapped this picture of MS & YS after CH & I got home from the hospital:

No, we're not geeks at our house at all!

Unexpected

We had a bit of an unexpected visit to the hospital yesterday.  CH has been complaining off and on for a while about some stomach pain.  He thought he had food poisoning over the weekend (and blamed it on one of my favorite places to eat), but by Tuesday wasn't over it.  He isn't the kind of person to run to the doctor over just anything, but he called the doctor on Tues. morning for an appointment.  He went directly from the general practitioner to the surgeon, who wanted to take out his gall bladder that day, but CH had some loose ends to tie up at work.  So, we were at the hospital at 12:30 on Wed.; his surgery was scheduled for 1:00.  There was a full house in the waiting room.  An entire extended family was in the back corner; it looked like there were 3 generations of that family camped out.  They had thermoses of coffee and a picnic; they were literally camped out.
While we're waiting for CH to be called back for prep, one of the nurses went to a family member and asked for their loved one's bag.  Because she wanted her lipstick before she went under.   Guess she figured that if she was going to go, it was going to be with her lipstick on!  CH & I, along with another family, got a good chuckle out of that.  CH started talking to the man next to him; he, his dad, and 2 sisters were waiting for their mother  (and wife) to be finished with surgery.
CH was taken back for prep around 3:00; they put someone else in front of him.  When they called the other guy back, he appeared to be in a lot of pain, holding his right side.  CH said that when they were prepping him, he was making a lot of noise and told the nurses that he didn't like to be touched.  When someone asked about giving him pain meds, CH looked at his nurse and told her to give it to him and put it on his bill so he would shut up!
This hospital has a really neat screen on the wall in the waiting room.  It looks like a huge flatscreen on the wall because, well, that's what it is.  When you check in at the waiting room, you're handed a chart with different colors on it; each color symbolizes what stage of the process the patient is in.  There's also a code on the card for each patient to maintain privacy.
CH told me that the surgeon said the entire surgery should only take about 45 minutes.  CH's code stayed on red (meaning he was in surgery) for about 2 hours.  I was just about to get a little concerned.  When the surgeon talked to me after the surgery, he told me that the gall bladder was in really bad shape, and it took him about 40 minutes just to remove it.  So, it looks like it was a good thing he went ahead and had it removed.
Around 2:00, there was a volunteer shift change in the waiting room.  And, who should walk in, but a former band mom from my high school days!  This woman just happens to be the MIL of Joyce, and the mother of Tempo and Speed.  Oh, the stories this woman can tell!  (Don't worry you 2, I won't go into them!)  It was nice to catch up, and she let me know that I didn't need to worry when CH had been "in the red" for 2 hours!
After I talked to the surgeon, I went down to the deli and grabbed something to eat.  As I was eating, a man knocked on the window as he was walking by.  I looked up, and it was the man that CH had been talking to in the waiting room.  It strikes me as funny that you can feel a bit of a connection with people when you're put in a certain situation.  Anyway, when I looked up, the man smiled and waved like we had known each other forever.
When I was able to go back to sit with CH, the recovery nurse met me in the hall and told me that she thought he was a bit annoyed with her.  When I asked why, she said that he said he was hungry and wanted a cheeseburger which she wasn't about to get for him!  (He didn't remember any of this, by the way.)  He had to settle for crackers and sprite.  The doctor came in and talked to him (he didn't remember this either), and I told him about 3 times what the doctor had said.  He asked me about it again this morning.  I think he finally remembers it!
Before we went to the hospital, CH made sure MS & YS had money for lunch and supper.  Which is a good thing, because I really thought that we'd be home for supper.  We got home around 7:30, which is a fast turnaround when you consider that they started operating on him at 4:30 or so.  As we walked in, YS was heating up some dinner, so I guess he opted to pocket his money for something in the future!  He knows how to work it!
So, to wrap it up in the style of A Ro:  CH had a whirwind of doctors' visits followed by a cholecystectomy (yes, I googled the technical term).  Had a great time catching up with 2 of my favorite bloggers' mother/MIL; heard some stories that won't be repeated.  Made new "friends" in the waiting room; answered repeated questions from CH...patiently.  (Okay, maybe with just a bit of a chuckle after the 3rd time!)  Came home to find YS has pocketed money for supper in order to fund some future fun.  Yep, that just about wraps up my yesterday!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose?

I know that there are reasons we should be in space, but I've just never totally "gotten" it.  I'm not very adventurous, so, no, I wouldn't be tempted to want to go into space.

2. What are three things in your freezer?

I just went to the store, so I have plenty of things to choose from!  I have meat, hot pockets for the boys, and ice cream, of course.  What kind of freezer doesn't have ice cream in it during the summer?

3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonite who would it be? It has to be someone living...no Beatles, Elvis, etc.

Casting Crowns; no...Amy Grant; no...The Doobie Brothers.  Do I need to go on?  It seems like "someone" is going to see U2 tonight.  Could this be where the question came from?  (LOL!)

4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice?

Cubed.  Definitely.  We had a problem with the ice maker when someone would push the "crush" button, then when we pushed "cube" it wouldn't switch over.  I hate all those little chunks of ice going all over the place when it's on crushed.  (Remember, I have boys who don't know that you're suppose to put the cup all the way up to the dispenser.  They also don't know to pick up any pieces of ice that fall on the floor.)

5. The owner of a small restaurant outside of Pittsburgh recently announced he was banning children under six, saying they regularly disrupted other customer's meals. You can read the story in more detail here but isn't this a perfect topic to discuss in our Wednesday Hodgepodge? Have at it friends...what are your thoughts?

Honestly, I think that if the owner wants to do that, he has the right.  It is pretty aggravating to pay to eat dinner out only to have little kids screaming and acting out, and for the parents to not address their behavior.  (Not that my boys ever did anything like that, of course!  But, at least we addressed the behavior and removed them if we needed to.)  People are just so inconsiderate these days.

6. What was your first car? How did it come to be yours? 

The first car that was mine and only mine was my Dodge Omni.  My daddy bought it when I was a senior in college so I could do my student teaching.

7. If I had a nickle for every time I _________________ I'd be rich.

Since I talked about my boys not knowing how to pick up ice, I'll stay with that theme and say "picked up after the boys".

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

There is a seminarian in our parish who is doing an internship as a hospital chaplain.  He is from South America, and doesn't have his US driver's license, so he needs rides to & from the hospital.  There are 3 or 4 of us who are making sure he has rides as needed.  Thankfully I've been able to help out this summer.  Yesterday he gave me some soup that he had made:

  OH.MY.WORD.  It was so incredibly good.  Crab, salmon (I think), scallops, & octopus in cream, coconut milk, and something else that I don't remember.  I crisped a couple of pitas with garlic salt on them (next time I'm just going to go with the garlic powder), and MS & I had a wonderful lunch.  CH is allergic to crab and coconut, so, as one of the boys said, it would pretty much kill him.  MS said that I needed to get the recipe and make it when CH is out of town.  YS smelled it and turned up his nose because, well, it smelled like seafood.  (Go figure, huh?)

Go visit Joyce to link up, participate, or just lurk around to see how other friends answered the questions!

Unusual Sightings

Over the past few days, I've seen some things that have made me smile, chuckle, and scratch my head.  (Warning:  #3 is a bit "raunchy")

1.  As I was pulling out of my driveway this morning, a tractor drove by.  The man driving it was on his cell phone.  It just struck me as funny for some reason!

2.  Yesterday at the grocery store, I saw a man and his grandson walking out.  They were dressed just alike:  cowboy hat, western shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots.  The little boy even had spurs on his boots.  It was just the cutest thing!  I had my camera in my pocketbook and thought about asking if I could get a picture, then decided that would just be too weird.

3.  Saturday I had to run into a grocery store to get a few things.  As I'm getting in line to check out, I notice a couple in the lane next to where I am.  The girl had on a "Young Life" t-shirt.  The guy had on a shirt that said  "Sex Police    K-9 unit".  Then the line under that had something about doggie-style.  What's wrong with that picture?  I was actual embarrassed for the girl.

Have you seen anything that you think is unusual lately?

Friday Fragments

I haven't  participated in this meme very often.   Don't know why; Mrs. 4444 is one of my favorite people to read...especially when she has videos in her posts!

*  The other day I saw this little guy/girl in the yard.  I think this is one of the baby bunnies that was born around Easter.

*  I spent 4 hours cleaning up YS' room on Wednesday.  I took advantage of his being away at band camp to clean up the pig sty room.  Hopefully it will stay this way for a while.

*  MS came in with a new friend on Wednesday.

He made a make-shift terrarium for it, but then decided to let it go at the end of the day.  Here he is in his new home:

* On Tuesday, I met the other mom who chaperoned band camp for the last 2 years with me. We met at McAlister's, and, 3 hours later, decided we'd best be on our way.  I think we talked about everything under the sun...we had to get our usual week's worth of talking into a few hours!

* Yesterday I gave my oven a little TLC.  I researched online how to get the racks clean, decided the easiest way was the "trash bag method":  Put the racks on trash bags outside, spray them with oven cleaner, wait 20 minutes, then rinsed them off.  I did have to do a little bit of scrubbing, but it was pretty easy.  While I was researching that, I happened to find a suggesting for getting the oven window clean:  using glass top stove cleaner.  Worked like a charm.  My oven looks almost like new, and I didn't have to do too much work.  Gotta love that!

* YS comes home from band camp today.  Gosh, I've missed that boy a lot more than I thought I would!  I can't wait to hear all the band camp stories (once a band geek, always a band geek!).  They will show off their hard work to parents tonight, followed by a pot-luck dinner, then the kids will be off to a local pool for a party.  I fully expect YS to sleep most of the day tomorrow!

Spooky

Monday morning, we had a very strange thunderstorm.  The storm was coming from the north-east; usually storms come from the south-west.  I woke up a little after 5:00 to "popping" sounds on the roof.  If you know anything about me, you know that my imagination can really run rampant.  When I heard that noise, the first thing that came to mind was our babysitter (when the boys were little) telling me that when her house caught on fire, she heard a large "pop".  I was a little concerned Monday morning.
I got up and went into our "spare" bedroom/office, and looked outside.  MS has a makeshift soccer goal that is leaning up against the house, close to where I heard the popping.  When I looked out, I saw that the wind was blowing pretty hard.  I thought maybe the wind could have been pushing the goal against the house.  I went ahead and took the girls out, and checked on the goal while I was out.  No way was that what was making that sound.  The wind was really blowing; I felt like I was Dorothy out there.  As I was standing at the side of the house, I heard the "pop", and figured out what the culprit was:

Apparently we have a hickory tree to the side of the house that we've never realized was there.  We have one in the front yard, right in front of the living room window, but have never noticed the one on the side.  In 7 years, this is the first time we've heard the nuts falling off and hitting the roof.

After I solved that mystery, I turned to walk back into the house.  When I looked off in the distance, I saw this big, black sky with lightening coming out of it.  It didn't look good at all.  I gathered the girls up, went back inside, and proceeded to wake up CH and tell him that it looked like a big tornado was headed our way.  As weird as the weather has been this year, it really wasn't outside of the realm of possibility.  That was my reasoning, anyway.  CH got up and looked outside, then we turned on the tv to check the weather.  My favorite meteorologist said we were getting to have a severe thunderstorm.  The storm came and went, there wasn't a tornado, and I've heard the popping sound every now and then.  Only now I know what it is.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

More questions from Joyce!  Click on the button above to see how other people answered this week's questions, and/or to participate!

1.  How has your hometown changed since you were a kid?  What has changed most about the neighborhood you grew up in? 

We have had some business developments in the past few years, which has brought in some chain restaurants:  McAlister's Deli, Salsarita's, Panera, Five Guys, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili's, Olive Garden, and Cheddar's.  There has also been a "Greenway" developed with walking/bike trails, so you could walk/ride your bike all around the Small Town if you wanted.  

As far as the neighborhood, not much has changed, except for the people. The street where I grew up is still pretty much the same.  The trees are a little bigger, but other than that, there's not much difference.  When we moved back 7 years ago, one thing that struck me was how well the older neighborhoods had been maintained; for the most part, anyway.  

2.  What song makes you laugh? 

Any song that is sung by a toddler.

3.   Are you a fan of Harry Potter?  Read the books?  Seen any/all of the  movies?  Will you be standing in line somewhere close to midnight later  this week? For those of you playing along today who live outside the US  or UK is Harry Potter a phenomenon in your part of the world?

I LOVE HP!  But, I'm not such a fanatic that I have to stand in line to see the new one.  In fact, I didn't see Part 1 at the theater.  CH was dead set against spending that much money to watch it since they split it up into 2 parts. We have all of the movies on tape/dvd. The movie is going to be the same, no matter when I watch it.

4.   If the truth hurts, will you tell a lie?  Are we better off as a  society in a world that allows no form of deception whatsoever? 

The problem with me lying is that the person can see straight through me.  I'm a terrible liar.  Sometimes the truth hurts, but it's a "character builder".  I think our society has become too "feel good"; kids/people aren't made to deal with reality, even if it hurts.

5.  What is your favorite 'sauteed in garlic and butter' food?  Or garlic and olive oil if that makes you feel better.

What isn't good sauteed in garlic & butter?  I'd have to say zucchini and/or squash, along with some mushrooms would be my favorite.

6.  Attending any reunions this summer/year?  High school?  family?  Other?  Do these events stir up excitement or dread?

No reunions this summer.  

7.  Lilac, hydrangea, peony...pick one. 

LOVE the smell of lilacs.  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
YS is away at band camp this week.  I have to admit, I was a little sad seeing him go on Sunday.  This is the first year I haven't been a chaperone.  Even though we didn't really talk a lot to each other while at camp, I thought he needed to go away on his own, without the security blanket of knowing I was there.  When I told him I wasn't going, he asked why, but then asked about the other mom who has also gone the past 2 years (she's a "guard mom").  He was a bit worried about who would take care of the guard, but I told him that they were big girls and could take care of themselves.  Turns out another guard mom is chaperoning, so there should be no worries!

Obsession

I get obsessed sometimes.  To be more accurate, I get obsessed a lot.  When the older boys were in high school, it was high school football.  Then I found semi-pro hockey.  A year and a half ago, I found blogging.  Facebook?  Forgetaboutit.  Definitely obsession material.  Now that Netflix is around, most summers it's a tv series that I can get online.
So, what have my obsessions been this summer?  Books.  I've read quite a few this summer.  I started out with a few mysteries, then switched over to a Beverly Lewis series: Abram's Daughters.  I went through the first 3 books, thinking that was all in the series, only to find out there were 2 more books.  I finished them a couple of days ago.  After I read the first 3 in the series,  I switched over to Karen Kingsbury's "Redemption" series.  The problem:  there are 5 books in that series, and the last 2 books have been checked out of the library for a long time.  So, I haven't finished that series.
My oldest sister sent Paula Deen's book "It Ain't all about the Cookin'" to me at the beginning of the summer.  I had a nice little surprise in it:  Paula's autograph!  Let me tell y'all:  It's an excellent read!  I read the whole thing in 1 day; I couldn't put it down.  I knew she had agoraphobia, but had no idea how long it had crippled her.  She seems so outgoing and personable; it's hard to imagine the pure hell she went through.
But, wait.  The book series wasn't my only obsession.  I've watched the following movies/series:  Anna & the King (long, but worth it), The Buccaneers (4 episodes), Tortilla Soup, and Doc Martin.  There's nothing worse than obsessing about a series only to find that the company that supplies movies to Netflix has pulled half of it off of the watch instantly. This did not make me happy at all.  I watched the first 2 seasons of Doc Martin, got ready to watch the 3rd only to find it had disappeared from Netflix.  Yeah, I called to find out what was going on.  The customer service guy told me what happened, and commented on what a popular series it was.  I asked him if he had seen it, and he said that he was watching Dexter.  Yep, that was my obsession last summer.  He also said that they have gotten a lot of calls about Doc Martin not being available.  Usually if a movie is only available to watch instantly for a certain amount of time, Netflix will put a date to let you know.  There was no date on Doc Martin, 'cause if there had been, I would've stayed up all night to finish it.
Have I got your curiosity up about Doc Martin?  Here's the premise:  Doc Martin is a well-known London-based surgeon who realizes, in the middle of a surgery, that he's actually operating on people, and suddenly the smell & sight of blood gives him full-blown panic attacks.  So, he takes a job as a general practitioner in Port Wenn, North Cornwall, England.  Port Wenn is, in reality, Port Isaac.  Beautiful scenery.  I want to go there and just walk around the town.  This show is quirky (think British humor), but has a bit of a "House" air to it in that Doc Martin will just say whatever is on his mind, but he knows his stuff.
So, how am I going to squelch this obsession?  As I was writing this, I checked Hulu.  When I checked it before, they wanted $7.99/month, but I just found the 3rd season for free!  Oh, joy of joys!  If anyone knows how to watch English television on the laptop, please let me know!

Aprons

This is a copy of an e-mail I received from one of my cousins, by way of my mother.  Although I didn't have the privilege of really knowing my grandmothers, I do remember my mother wearing an apron when I was young.  This brought back a few memories!

The  History of 'APRONS'

I don't  think our kids know what  an apron is.
The  principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress  underneath because she only had a few. It was also because  it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used  less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder  for removing hot pans  from the oven.
It was  wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was  even used for cleaning out dirty  ears.
From the  chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy  chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in  the warming oven.
When  company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy  kids.. And when  the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her  arms. Those big  old aprons wiped many a perspiring  brow, bent over  the hot wood stove. Chips and  kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that  apron.
From the  garden, it carried all sorts of  vegetables. After the  peas had been shelled, it carried out the  hulls. 

 In the  fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen  from the trees. 

 When  unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how  much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of  seconds. 

 When  dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved  her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from  the fields to dinner.
It will  be a long time before someone invents something that will  replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many  purposes.
REMEMBER: Grandma  used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to  cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window  sill to  thaw.
They  would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were  on that apron.
I don't  think I ever caught anything from an apron - but  love...

TSMSS: Shine

Yesterday during the homily at Daily Mass, Father said something that really made sense.  I don't remember word-for-word what he said, but it went something like this:  Being a Christian doesn't mean our lives are perfect.  It means having the faith we need to get through whatever adversities come our way.
That really hit home.  It seems like at the height of Lent, when I felt my faith getting stronger, our family went through something that tore my heart apart.  I can't imagine how much worse it would've been if I didn't have my faith to fall on during that time.



Please visit Amy at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders to see what songs have touched people this week.

Happy 4th of July

http://theexpiredmeter.com/2009/11/veterans-day-thanks/american-flag-2a/

I saw this quote on Facebook:


"The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it. The American flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it. American soldiers don't fight because they hate what's in front of them...they fight because they love what's behind them." Thank you to every service man and woman. Happy 4th of July weekend everyone. God Bless America!

TSMSS: Take Me into the Beautiful

If this song doesn't pick you up today, nothing will!  This one always gets me going.
For more inspirational songs, visit the links at Amy's.