First Sunday of Advent

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Happy Thanksgiving

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A Little Nostalgia

Have a Happy Tuesday!

Funnel Cakes

Yesterday, we were able to get out and after Mass, we headed out to get some funnel cakes. During the summer Steve won some coupons for free funnel cakes and today we decided to redeem them.

We drove down to Shoreline Village in my old hometown of Long Beach. It's situated near the water and has lots of shops and eateries. It has changed quite a bit since I lived there.

Ryan at the entrance of the Funnel House.

The funnel cakes were delicious!

Some sights at Shoreline Village.

And as a side, here is Emily in her Our Lady of Lourdes costume that I fumbled my way through!


I don't know who the saints are in front nor in back of her. Cute!

Our household has been hit hard by the flu, colds, whatever. Ryan was well enough to return to school on Wednesday, but Kathryn got sick on Sunday, Steve got sick on Monday, and Emily got sick on Tuesday. Everyone is improving, but Kathryn and Emily are still fighting a bad cough.

Thank the Lord I've been spared from getting sick, so far. I've been able to tend to everyone as needed. I hope this has us covered for the rest of the season, but we have a long way to go.

Our mornings are cold but the days warm up to the low 70's. We're probably good for a few more weeks of warmer weather before it gets to be cold all the time.

I'm planning on knitting up some scarves and hats for the kids. I also want to start up some dishcloths for Christmas giving. I want to say that I'm going to start my Christmas shopping and all that planning, but my track record proves that it probably won't happen. I'll just say that everything will get done by December 24th!

Pictures of Emily in her homemade costume of Our Lady of Lourdes are still forthcoming. For some reason, I couldn't upload any pictures onto the computer tonight. I'll try again tomorrow.

Friday

We've finally arrived at the end of the week. Most of the week was spent cleaning up in areas that don't get frequent cleaning, like behind the entertainment center, behind the huge TV that never gets moved, etc. I needed to have those areas clean because we were upgrading our computer/phone/TV systems - you know those packages that the phone companies give you to save money.

After all that cleaning, it ends up that the new wiring that was installed (down the street a couple of blocks away) doesn't reach to our house. The technician apologized, but I guess it wasn't really his fault. He's under the assumption that wiring is ready to go and he just puts things together to make it work. It's a good thing that I didn't cancel are current satellite programming.

At least I got some good cleaning in behind those hard to get to areas!

I also spent a lot of time during the week on attempting to sew Emily a costume for the school Saints Day festivities. She wanted to dress as the Blessed Mother, so we chose Our Lady of Lourdes. It looked like an easy costume to sew. I bought her an XL T-shirt for the gown and then sewed the veil. She wore a blue sash around her waist, a rosary hanging from her arm, and two pink roses as her feet. I based it all on this picture:

It was actually quite easy to sew. The hard part was trying to figure out where all my sewing tools were. I couldn't quite remember where all my bobbins were and where the pins were. My organizational skills are lacking in the sewing department. Oh, and then once I was ready to actually sew, my presser foot was missing! Who knows where that went. I used a different one that did the job.

Oh, Therese! I wish I could sew like you! I need to start practicing!

I hope I can post a decent picture of Emily wearing the costume. Steve was the assigned photographer and I haven't seen any of his shots. He's not home yet. I didn't get to attend the actual parade because I had to stay home and take care of Ryan, who's sick and didn't go to school.

Thank you all so much for keeping him in your prayers. I took him to the doctor today as he developed some flu symptoms that got me concerned. The doctor seems to think the stomach problems are just remnants from "irregularity". It can take a while for his insides to feel better. That was good to hear. And his flu symptoms are just that. He has the flu.

I asked if it was the dreaded swine flu. He said it was possible, but he didn't do any tests on him. He said treat it like any other flu - lots of fluids and rest. I'll be busy sanitizing everything hoping this doesn't spread! And my mother is here visiting! She better not catch this or I'll feel horrible!

Now it's time to wait for the girls to arrive home. I'm looking forward to hearing all about the Saints Day parade and checking out the pictures!

I Got a B+!!!

I mean, er, SHE got a B+! Kathryn had to do a video project at school and neither she nor her partner knew how to put one together. They knew how to film it and upload it onto the computer, but no one knew how to make the actual video, putting it onto a DVD. According to Kathryn, no one else knew how to do it either, but I'm not sure that's the case.

So after all the filming was done, I thought I'd give it a try, not knowing the slightest thing about putting a movie together. It took such a long time, with trial and error, but I finally got it put together. Kathryn told me where she wanted the scenes to go and voila! Of course, it was pretty plain, no special effects, music, etc. But, I can say that we both learned a little about movie making! With a little guidance, I think she can handle the next one, if there is ever another one.

Ryan has been suffering from tummy problems lately. He's been having stomach aches and after about a week of dealing with that, I took him to the doctor where it's thought he may have constipation problems. Well, after giving him medicine and making changes in his diet, the stomach aches are still there, but seem to be getting better, so I guess I'll just wait a little bit more for any changes. He's still in great spirits and the discomfort doesn't seem to keep him from having a smile on his face and a kiss for mom! He's anxiously waiting for the Ice Age movie to come out on DVD tomorrow. He loves that movie and anything else that has to do with it.

So, I guess tomorrow I'll hit the store and get it for him. Hopefully, I won't get tempted to get something for me. Maybe since Halloween is just around the corner, I'll get a bag of Sweet Tarts! I love that candy!

Flash Forward Trailer

A new show I'm enjoying this Fall!

Making My Menu Plan

Taking the time to make a menu plan has really helped me in making sure that I'm using up my food wisely and providing decent nutrition for my family. When I don't plan, I tend to make up something quick and easy, and it's not as balanced as I would like.

I do have to say that I'm not a natural cook, meaning, I'm not very imaginative and I can easily get into a rut, having the same meals over and over. I don't experiment at all. I'm not good at combining spices together on my own, just to try it. I need to follow recipes.

Growing up, my mother cooked the same foods over and over because my father was a very picky eater and only wanted certain foods. Sadly, I never saw my mother enjoying herself cooking. When I moved out on my own, I only knew how to cook a few things, so I began to look for recipes that would expand my palate. I discovered lots of new wonderful foods.

So, on to how I make my menu plan. I usually start by asking everyone if there's something special they would like to have for the week. Most of the time, it's something easy like tacos or spaghetti. I try to incorporate something like that.

Then I check my freezer, refrigerator, and pantry to see if there is anything I can plan a meal around. For example, I have lots of chicken thighs in my freezer, so I look to see if I have any recipes that can use them. If not, I look up recipes online like Allrecipes or Taste of Home. I just plug in the ingredient and recipes will pop up using that ingredient. Then I just choose one that sounds good and doesn't have anything exotic or elaborate procedures. I do the same thing if I need to use up some cans of kidney beans, evaporated milk, or even some bottled sauces that have been in the refrigerator for awhile but haven't expired yet.

Once I've decided on my main meal, I decide on what sides could go with that. I find a starch like rice, potatoes, or noodles and then find a vegetable dish. A salad is usually included but not always.

Some people look at the sale flyers to see what's on sale, and plan meals around that, but I have to admit that I'm not in the habit of doing that. I get flustered having all those flyers around and then feeling like I have to visit these different stores to take advantage of the sale.

I also take into account if there are any days during the week where I won't have much time to cook, like school meetings, sports practice or anything like that. On those days, I plan on something simple that I can just throw together, leftovers or a slow cooker recipe.

And, that is how I develop my menu plans! Some helpful sites that I go to when I need some ideas are:

I'm an Organizing Junkie (she's the host for Menu Plan Monday where you can get lots of ideas from other people's menus for the week)

Diary of a Stay at Home Mom ( she hosts Slow Cooking Thursday's with lots of great recipes using the slow cooker)

Menu Plan Tuesday

Here is my menu plan for the rest of the week. I think I'm settling down a little, getting used to the routines of school activities and sports schedules. A few of these meals are new recipes for me (the highlighted ones). Lots of Latin flavoring this week. I have to use up a lot of items that are taking up freezer space.

Tuesday: Hamburgers, Waffle fries, corn on the cob

Wednesday: Hot dogs, chips, carrot sticks with Ranch, fruit. This is my busy day with all the kids having practice, so this is something quick.

Thursday: Cheddar Beef Enchiladas, Spanish rice w/pinto beans, salad

Friday: Orange Chicken, rice, salad

Saturday: Nachos, fruit

Sunday: Slow Cooker Latin Chicken, Spanish rice w/beans, salad

Gosh, Where Have I Been!

I really haven't been anywhere, but I've been busy taking care of home and family.

Emily is enjoying Kindergarten. She loves learning all the songs at morning prayer and Mass at school. I really must try to get her on video. It's just precious. Right now she sings Immaculate Mary, The Servant Song and a version of Glory to God in the Highest. Maybe she'll like to sing in the children's choir. But, she can't do that until the 2nd grade. She's also doing great at soccer. She scored five goals in her last game! Her coach has to rein her in so that others can have a chance at scoring. I have to say that she's the most competitive of my children!

Ryan is all into the Ice Age movie right now. He's counting the days until the movie comes out in DVD. His favorite subject in school is spelling. This week he is the Student of the Week. He gets to bring in some of his favorite things to share with his class. He's very excited!

Kathryn is getting excited for her birthday coming up. She gets to go to Disneyland with Steve. They have some deal where you can get in free on your birthday, so Steve is going to take her. We can't afford to all go. It costs so much now. She made some new friends at school and they are having loads of fun doing projects together.

Steve is in baseball heaven right now helping to coach Ryan and his team this Fall. So far, the team is doing well, they haven't lost a game yet. It's surprising because there are many players on the team that have never played before. They can barely swing the bat. But Fall ball is mainly instructional. No official score is kept and there are no wins and losses (but we still like to pretend-hee hee).

As for myself, I'm enjoying having the house to myself while the kids are in school. I'm able to get more done for longer stretches. It's nice when I'm able to wash, fold and put away the laundry all in one swoop! I'm having to learn to pace myself because I tend to try to do so much to take advantage of the kids being gone that I don't take breaks and end up exhausting myself. Sometimes I feel guilty that I'm not working bringing in a paycheck and heaven forbid that I lay on the sofa or bed and read a book! Anyway, I thank the Lord that at this point in my life, I'm able to be home.

So that's what's been going on in my household. I hope I can start posting more often. I still need to put up my blogroll, and I've read a few more books, so I can add them to my list.

Blessings to all!

School Has Begun

The kids started school last week and so far things have gone smoothly. This is Emily's first year of full time school and yesterday was the first day she said she didn't want to go to school. She was so excited the first week, then the novelty wore off and she realized that she needs to go EVERYDAY!

There is a spirituality group that meets every Thursday morning to pray a decade of the rosary and to pray for the, students, teachers, school, etc. I'm thrilled to be a part of it because goodness knows the spiritual education of our children is so important.

I'm going to be re-evaluating my schedule now that all the kids are in school full-time. I hope to be able to make good use of the time that I have to make a good home for my husband and kids.

Have a good weekend everyone. I'll leave with a recent song that I like. YouTube won't allow me to embed this but I can leave this link.

Matisyahu is an Hasidic Jew and there is such a good message with this song. Let us always pray for peace and bring love wherever we go!

YIKES!

I was updating my blog sidebar and I accidentally deleted my blogroll!! No offense to anyone! I will be working to restore it but the kids are calling for lunch!

Summertime Activities (with Photos)

I was able to upload the latest pictures from my camera (and Kathryn's), so this is some of what we've done this summer:




We did a little baking. Kathryn wanted to make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, and she did a terrific job. They were delicious.

We made a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.



This pond here shows all the tar that is still there. Gases still rise up from the earth below.

This is a depiction of how a woolly mammoth baby got stuck in the tar while momma and sibling looked on helplessly.


The ground at the museum has lots of spots like this. Tar just coming up from the ground.

Here you can see Emily standing in front of the skeleton of a woolly mammoth.

The gang is all here minus me taking the picture!

On the drive home, we passed by Paramount Studios. No citing of celebrities!

The next shots are from our short visit to the beach to collect some shells. We were only there for about half an hour. The shells around there are pretty small and mostly pieces, but they still have beauty to them.

And I can't end without a photo of some of my harvest of wonderful tasting tomatoes! I have had a continuous supply of them and they are delicious!

Summertime Activites

Well these sure have been the lazy days of summer! I obviously haven't been doing many posts lately. I've been trying to visit your blogs when I can, but have been off the computer a lot. I've been trying to do some activities with the kids before they begin school. I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded any of them yet. Hopefully, I can do that soon because I want to post them.

We visited the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. It was a very interesting place and Ryan especially loved it. We learned about the animals that lived in that area eons ago and got to see the fossils. Most of them were trapped in the tar or asphalt. There are still fossils being discovered today and we got to see some people (I forget the name of them) working on them.


We also went to the beach. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera. We had a blast. I pretty much stayed under the umbrella, but enjoyed watching the kids run from the waves.


Kathryn has finished her summer basketball season. Her team went undefeated and they won the championship for her team's division just yesterday! Yea!

Today, Kathryn and I had a consultation with an orthodontist. She needs to have braces, but we're not sure when we'll actually do it. Ryan is going to be referred by our dentist in a couple of months. Having two kids in braces is going to cost us a good chunk of money and I really think Ryan will need them more than Kathryn. So I don't know how we'll handle this right now. Lots of playing around with the budget. I wish I could find that lottery ticket that I misplaced :)

Well, school begins on Monday. All three will finally be in school. It's been fun having the kids home all summer and I think I will miss having them around. I hope I don't get too teary when I see little Emily in her uniform standing in the Kindergarten line! She's my baby and when I allow myself to think about her starting school...well, I don't want to stay there too long. AAAGH!! MY KIDS ARE GROWING TOO FAST!!!!!!!! I'm sure many of you can relate.

Well, it's late now and the bed is calling my name. I hope I can get a post in tomorrow with some pictures!

A Little Humor

Some funnies from Emily:

After telling the kids how much I loved them and how proud I was to be their mother, the conversation went something like this:

Me: I wouldn't trade you guys for a million dollars! I wouldn't trade you for ten million dollars!!

Emily: What would you trade us for?

*********************************************

Emily: What's the Spanish word for piñata?

A New Week

Ever since I quit working outside the home, I've come to enjoy Mondays. I get the feeling that it's a new beginning, a time to start over after my plans from the week before didn't quite work out. It's a time to pick myself up and begin again or to continue with what's been working.

This summer, the routines have flown out the window. After two kids with pneumonia, things were slightly askew, but everyone is better now and I look forward to planning things again and actually going through with them, God willing!

Today will be a busy day. I have some errands to do, then pay a visit to my mother, who I haven't seen in awhile. I have lots of tomatoes to give her. My tomato plant has really started producing. I've had to start picking them while they are slightly orange, almost red. When I wait for them to get a nice red color, they've already gotten a little soft and mushy on the the inside. But they are delicious. A wonderful aroma with a taste that's hard to get all the time from the grocery store.

My blog has been neglected lately and I really need to update my list of books read. I've been on a kick for reading Michael Connelly books. My sister-in-law let me borrow some of her books because she knew I liked the Jack Bauer character from "24". The main character from these books, Harry Bosch, is a lot like Jack Bauer. The ones I've read so far are really good. They are good who dunnit, crime fiction stories. There is a little swearing and some adult situations, ..ahem, but not an excessive amount, and well, they are crime stories.

Last night, I saw the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. I just loved it! What an inspiring story about a father doing everything he can to provide a better life for his son! I stayed up way too late to finish this one and by the end, I just had tears falling down. If you've never seen this movie, I'd recommend it if you don't mind shedding a few tears! There's not many movies I give 5 stars to on my Netflix queue, but this is one.

Well, I need to get going with the rest of my day. I hope you all have a blessed week!

Wordless Wednesday

Chris Tomlin-Jesus Messiah

HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY!

This Summer's Challenges

This has not been the summer I'd envisioned! It started out fine, but then the sickies started.



Kathryn started with a little cold. She got over that quickly without any disruption of any summer plans. Then Ryan got a cold, which turned into a cough, which turned into some upper respiratory infection. I held off going to the doctor thinking he would turn the corner any day. It never did, so we finally paid a visit to the dr. After his round of antibiotics, he's well. Thank the Lord. Now Emily has the cough and I have it as well! We've both been up the past two nights hacking away. Hopefully, it won't get worse.

Before the summer started, I bought four swim passes so we could hang out at the pool. Since people are getting sick, we haven't been able to use the passes as much I as thought we would. We haven't been sightseeing as much as I wanted to, but we are still managing to have some fun, even if its just playing around with sidewalk chalk, puttering in the garden, or just making up games.

Ah, such is life. It's what happens when we're busy making other plans.

During this busy time, I've been scarce in the blogosphere, but I hope I can catch up with all of you soon! I'm embarrassed to say my reader has over 500 posts and I may just have to press the dreaded, Mark All As Read!!