Thursday

Another week is flying by.

Monday, my friends came over to give me a hand in my kitchen. It's taken so long because I'm not working on it everyday. I try to do a little, but cooking, laundry, and other necessary cleaning throughout the house gets in the way, as well as errands I need to run. The update is, all the wallpaper as been stripped from the walls, peeling has been finished and primer has been placed on most of the walls and cabinets. I still need to sand some of the diamond window panes and then we can get going on that. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Ryan played his last baseball game of the season. They lost their playoff game. But that's not the end of sports! He will be practicing in the summer for Fall Ball in September. Emily is playing T-Ball and taking a general sports class through Sports and Recreation. She just has three more weeks of that. Oh, then I can't forget swimming. She's signed up for a two week class. Kathryn will be taking a basketball class.

I had to do some major cleaning in my pantry. Let me just say, moths-dried goods, yuck! I threw out old food packages, old containers, and sorted through canned goods checking the expiration dates and whatnot. I scrubbed the shelves and bought new containers to use for all the new rice, pasta and flour I had to purchase. I vowed that I will go through my pantry more often and do a better job with my rotation of goods.

This morning I worked on dinner food prep. We are having jumbo shells stuffed with taco meat. I cooked the shells already and I would have cooked the meat, but I don't have enough ground beef. I need to stop at the store and pick up more. My salad is prepared.

I'm off to the grocery store now. Have a good day everyone!

Flowers

Just wanted to share a few pictures of some of my flowers. These are some of the better ones. I have a few that look like they don't have much life left, but I'm trying to see if I can revive them. Others are waiting to bloom. This is my first serious attempt at gardening. In the past, I've just planted some flowers but not given much TLC. I have so much to learn.

The gardenias are just starting to bloom. They smell so lovely! So far, only a few have bloomed, but there are tons of buds just waiting to open.

This picture of the miniature roses was taken at night, hence the artificial lighting. By the time I got around to take a daytime shot, they were past their prime.

My garden would not be complete without pansies. These happy flowers are one of my favorites! If you look closely, you'll see some morning glories trying to grow in there. They are popping up like weeds. I keep pulling them out, but new ones show up. They are from left over seeds from last years morning glories.

And lastly, here is Ryan's green bean plant. He started it in his classroom and I transferred it to a bigger pot. The little beans are just starting to grow. So cute!

I hope I can share more pictures throughout the season. May you all have a lovely spring day!

Quote

Be an instrument of gold or steel, of platinum or of iron - big or small, delicate or rough. They're all useful. Each serves its own purpose. Who would dare say that the carpenter's saw is any less useful than the surgeon's scalpel? Your duty is to be an instrument.

St. Josemaria Escriva - The Way, No. 484

Happy Homemaker Monday!

On my bedside table: Some bills to be paid.

On my TV: The Fighting Sullivans

On the menu for tonight: Eating out at the ballpark. Ryan plays in his last baseball game.

On my to-do list: Peel wallpaper and paint in my kitchen - still. My dear friends are coming to help me.

New recipe I tried last week: None. But I did have some Indian food from my friend's family restaurant. YUM! I never tried Indian food but the chicken dishes and noodle dishes were tasty. A little spicy with the curry, but delicious!

In the craft basket: Dishcloths to knit.

Looking forward to: Summer!

Homemaking tip of the week: Like many homes, the laundry is a never ending chore. Many times I catch up with the laundry, but then I don't have time to fold and put them away. Then I have piles of clean clothes in baskets. If we end up needing something in there, it's a time sucker to try and go through the piles and find what we're looking for. What I do is to sort the clean clothes and place each person's clothes in their own basket. The towels and my clothes are generally put away first, so no baskets are needed there. It becomes much easier to sort through a basket when you know that the clothes there belong to just one person. Eventually the clothes get to where they need to go, but in the meantime, it makes hunting for clothes much easier. Of course by that time, the clothes need to be ironed, but we won't get into that now. :)

Favorite Blog post: Teaching Excellence: We Need More Daniels at Generation Cedar

Favorite Photo from last week:

On my prayer list: husband and kids

my kid's teachers

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Matthew 22:37-40

He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Thank you to Sandra, for hosting Happy Homemaker Mondays!

May Feelings II

Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

This is Ridiculous!

The self-centeredness of some people!!

http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/2009/05/07/disney-denies-filming-of-150000-quinceanera-by-mtv/8677/

Litany of the Eucharist

Ryan is going to be making his First Communion next year but I'm already looking for materials that will give him a head start before starting 2nd grade in September.



One of the books I checked out at our church library is The Holy Eucharist by Fr. Lovasik. In the front cover is this litany.

Living Bread that came down from heaven.

Hidden God and Savior.

Perpetual sacrifice.

Clean Oblation.

Lamb without spot.

Most pure Feast.

Food of Angels

Hidden Manna.

Memorial of the wonders of God.

Word made flesh, dwelling in us.

Sacred Host.

Chalice of benediction.

Mystery of Faith.

Most high and adorable Sacrament.

Most holy of all sacrifices.

Most wonderful of all miracles.

Most holy Memorial of the Passion of Christ.

Special Memorial of Divine love.

Most august and holy Mystery.

Bond of charity.

Priest and Victim.

Spiritual Sweetness.

Pledge of future glory.

Emily at the Park

Meme

I was tagged by Cathy from A Bit of the Blarney for this meme:


8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Seeing my mom after her vacation from Mexico. ( I hope she doesn't come back with the flu!!!!)
2. Finishing peeling paint in my kitchen.
3. Starting to sew again and gain more experience.
4. Crocheting/knitting more dishcloths.
5. Teaching my sister to crochet.
6. Warmer weather.
7. Going to Kindergarten Day with Emily.
8. Planting some new flowers.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Got caught up with "Lost" episodes.
2. Went to Emily's soccer game.
3. Went to my niece's birthday party.
4. Had a nice visit with my sister at the party.
5. Did laundry.
6. Folded clothes.
7. Refereed arguments among the kids.
8. Bandaged Emily's foot about eight times (she had a popped blister after jumping so much in the bounce house at the party).

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Buy a mountain cabin.
2. Write well.
3. Organize my time better.
4. Sew well.
5. Go to Rome.
6. Take vacations.
7. Install kitchen counters.
8. Be handy with whatever needs fixing around the house.

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Lost
2. 24
3. Biggest Loser
4. Heroes
5. Supernanny
6. Waltons (DVD rentals)
7. EWTN
8. Fox News

You are all invited to play!

Quiz

I know I've been missing in action and to pop back in the swing of things, I'll post this little quiz, since I do love 80's music.

You Scored 86% Correct

You are an 80s expert, You never confuse New Order with the Pet Shop Boys. You know which classical musician Falco rocked. When it comes to 80s music, you Just Can't Get Enough!

How Much Do You Know About 80s Music?

I wish I knew which question/s were incorrect! I'm guessing the first one. Anyway, since the quiz mentions New Order I'll leave with a video of them.

Happy Easter

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!

who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!

suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!

unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!

who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!

sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!

our salvation have procured, Alleluia!

now above the sky he's King, Alleluia!

where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Farmers Market

Today I stopped at a local farmers market to check out the produce. This was my first visit to one and I loved browsing around. There was lots to sample and everything looked so fresh.

My friend recommended that I check out the strawberries. She said they were delicious. After sampling some, she was right. They were so sweet and very nice looking. Unlike at the grocery store, all the strawberries didn't seem to have blemishes. So I bought some along with a little basket of raspberries and some red leaf lettuce.

All of the strawberries were big, but this was the biggest. That's Emily's little hand holding it!

The raspberries were also delicious. Next time, I will sample some fresh blueberries and blackberries. They looked good too.

The Disastrous Paint Job

Here are some wonderful shots of what the paint looks like coming off the walls.

The white is what was painted on all the cabinets. The blue is what we painted on the walls. Lots of it has come off like this - in sheets.

I had Emily pose in her most solemn look to demonstrate what the mood is like when I have to tear down all the hard work that was put in this past weekend.

But, that doesn't last long. We still have to smile. This will be one for the memory books.

Here is Kathryn removing the first layer of wallpaper to reveal the other vintage layer. Notice how the bright yellow matches the bright yellow tile. Someday I will be able to get the counters of my dreams and finally put the old one to rest!

At least my roses are blooming beautifully!

Kitchen Woes

This past weekend, my two girlfriends came over to help paint my kitchen. My one friend has been painting forever and is always painting her rooms. So she comes and says she would like to paint my whole kitchen. She'll tell the rest of us what to do. That's great because I don't have that much painting experience, just a little bit with Kathryn's room last summer. So for the next five hours, we toil and sweat getting the kitchen painted, cabinets and all.

Well, as we start tearing the tape off cabinets and walls, we notice that the paint is coming off right along with the tape!! Oh my goodness! We committed a BIG boo boo. We didn't realize that you do not use latex paint over oil-based paint. None of us ever thought in terms of latex vs. oil-based. I/We didn't realize my walls are oil-based. My friend tried to salvage all the edges, but the next day, things just didn't look right. I went over to the hardware store, and they gave me the bad news. Latex paint will never stick right over oil-based paint, no matter how many layers you slather on.

The first step I need to do to correct the problem is to remove all the latex paint. Luckily, most of it is coming off in sheets. But there is still lots of scraping to be done. It's a huge mess. Unfortunately, I've become obsessed with getting it all off before it gets really settled in. I spent most of the day peeling paint off. My friend came over to help me out, but there is lots more to be done. I need to now slow down and just do a certain amount a day because I still have to take care of my other duties. And I need to make sure I take time to relax and just be still. I'm becoming exhausted and I know that's not good.

That's the latest here. I'm too tired to upload and post pictures right now but I have some shots of the horror show. You'll be amazed!

Award

Thank you to my new blogging friend, Elizabeth from The Divine Gift of Motherhood for giving me this award! I'm honored!

And check out her wonderful blog. She's a writer and mother and shares her life, stories, food, books, and other items of interest. Go visit!

Monday

Today was a busy but productive day. I was able to mop all the floors, do my laundry (but not put the clothes away), do some spring cleaning in the dining room and kitchen, and help with homework! I'm tuckered out, but it's a good tired. Now watch, tomorrow will end up being a slacker day and I won't get anything done. But since I've put that out there, I'll have to make sure I stick with my schedule.

This past weekend, Emily went to her first non-relative birthday party. Her friend from school, Katya, invited her to her princess birthday party. All the girls were to dress as their favorite princess so Emily went as Cinderella. I should have taken her picture, but I just wasn't thinking. All the little princesses looked so cute. There was even a real princess. Yes, Sleeping Beauty came and played with the girls. They played games, had face paintings and even story time. Emily was very enthralled.

This week, I plan on continuing with spring cleaning. The weather is supposed to be in the 70's all week, so that will put me in cleaning mode. Oh yeah, I'm also preparing my kitchen to be painted this weekend. My two girlfriends and I have decided that instead of giving each other birthday presents this year, we are going to help each other with some cleaning/organizational job that is needed at our homes. Since my birthday was in February, I'm first. I wanted help in painting my kitchen cabinets. But my one friend just loves painting and wants to do the whole kitchen! It's a small kitchen but still, I'm not sure the whole thing can be finished in a few hours. One of the walls has wallpaper from when we first moved in,14 years ago!! I tried peeling a little off today to see if it would be easy. It wasn't too bad, but underneath was another layer of a different pattern. That one looked real vintage. It was bright yellow with a bunch of red cherries or raspberries or something like that. It must have gone real well with our yellow tile, during the 50's( I can't wait to change that)! Maybe I should just leave that yellow wallpaper and turn my kitchen retro! It would save money in getting new counters! HA! HA!

I'm off to bed now as my mind is starting to turn to mush. Time to unwind and say goodnight prayers. May everyone have a blessed day!

Sweetness From Emily

A conversation with Emily:

Emily: Mommy, can we have my birthday at Disneyland?

Me: No, I don't think so.

Emily: Why not?

Me: Well, Disneyland is very expensive it would just cost too much for all of us to go.

Emily: But everyone in my class has their birthday at Disneyland!

Me: I suppose their parents must have more money than we do.

Emily: But I can see in their pockets (meaning her classmates) and they have one dollar. That must be enough to get into Disneyland.

Me: I still don't think so.

Then she changed the subject and started talking about the upcoming weekend. I just thought that was so cute and showed the simplicity of this child's thinking. I wish it was just a dollar to get into Disneyland!!

Wordless Wednesday

Spring Is Near!

As much as I love the rain and winter, I'm ready for some warmer spring weather. Here are some signs of spring in my neck of the woods.

Happy Tuesday!