Cute picture

While it was snowing last week, I got a great picture of Buckeye taken from my bedroom window down to the dog in the backyard below. He's so cute.

Busy Weekend

Yesterday was one of those days where there was a lot going on. Ben had a 12 noon basketball game, then Pinewood derby at 1 PM. We had to stay to the end because I was on the clean-up crew (although when you have too many people on the clean-up crew there's nothing to do, so I wasn't really needed.) After that, we went to Janel's house for the evening. Ben finally got to hang with his buddy Ethan, Janel's 4th grader, and I got to hang with Janel! We scrapbooked and played with her Cricut machine. I only got 4 pages done, but it was so great spending time with Janel. Her oldest son, Travis, played his trumpet for us (he's great!), and we got to see the boys play some dance game on the PS2. They also played on the Wii, which Ben wants desperately. Brennan, her middle son was at the neighbor's house watching movies. Janel and I get to eat together during a very quick lunch break at school M-T-W, but it amounts to about 15 minutes or so. Having 5 hours of talking time was priceless! I hope we can do it more often! Today I worked at Stitches. It was very slow at first, thankfully because I was fighting a pattern: how can these companies charge $8 for a pattern that's' not accurate? It took me almost 2 hours to cut 2 kits out because the yardage requirements on the back were different. That is a big pet peeve of mine, and I have encountered many patterns that are inaccurate. Anyway, no sooner did I finish that project then about a billion people showed up. It was like they thought the store opened at 2 and not noon. We were really busy, the way a Sale day should be, and the next thing you know it was 4. I like days like that.

Goodsearch and Rosary Army

I am hooked on a podcast called Rosary Army. I found it on iTunes, and it's free. A husband/wife team, Greg and Jennifer Willits, started this organization that makes twine rosaries and gives them away. Their slogan is "Make them, pray them, give them away." I just found out that there is a search engine called Goodsearch that will donate $$ to non-profit organizations each time you use the search. It's only about a cent or 2, but they can add up. You can go to the Goodsearch website and choose Rosary Army as your charity. Pretty cool, I'd say!





Faithbuilders

Last March I went to a Faithbuilders conference with my friends Janel and Joni. It was a wonderful experience. How I wish I could be so eloquent as the women who spoke to us that day. They now have a podcast! http://thefaithbuilders.net/podcasts.htm It's another must-have podcast I will listen to. I have no idea of what's going on in the world because I am too busy listening to my podcasts in my car (through the cassette player, not the earphones!) I also get devotionals sent to me that are written by the girls who founded Faithbuilders. It's amazing how they can be speaking directly to me! I hope you check them out at www. thefaithbuilders.net.

This is a crazy week, with something going on everyday: before school, after school, evening, even lunch time meetings. This weekend will be busy with basketball, pinewood derby, and relaxing at Janel's scrapbooking. I can't wait!

I am off to do my last day for Week 3 of my Beth Moore study: Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy. You should be proud- I am keeping up with homework!

Buckeye

I had to move that gross picture of Mom's leg off the top of the blog. Here's a picture of Colin with our new dog, Buckeye. He was a Christmas gift to the family. We got him at a no-kill shelter called Animal Adoption Foundation. He's so good and so handsome! (I am talking about the dog...)

OUCH!

This is NOT for the faint of heart. This is Mom's knee a week after knee replacement surgery. Thirty-five staples. UGH. She's getting along better and better every day. She's doing her exercises 3x a day, and by next week she'll be back at Kohl's making up for 3 weeks of not shopping! I am now home after a week at Mom and Dad's. It's good to be home, but not a single load of laundry was done in my absence. I have a lot to do on my day off tomorrow!

Back at Home

Mom is finally home from the hospital. She got home today around noon. I arrived in Carnegie on Saturday night. Spent lots of time with Mom in the hospital on Sunday and Monday. I am so blessed that I am able to do this. My school has an awesome sick leave policy that includes relatives. Ben has called only twice asking me to come home "Now." He said his PapPap ChooChoo (my dad) could take care of Gramma! Really, I know he could, but this way I can help out until they get into a routine of sorts with mom not being able to take care of my grandmother (93 years young) like she usually can. Grammie Annie is very low maintenance, but she still has a routine (prune juice at 1 PM!) I know this is helping Dad, who I know appreciates it, as he's told me time and time again.

I have been able to do some sewing, embroidery, and reading. Even watched Failure to Launch with Mom this evening (if you haven't seen it yet, you have to. It's worth it just to see Terry Bradshaw in the nude!) I am hoping to stay on track with my Beth Moore Bible study on Daniel and also do some scrapping. This is a life of leisure you might say!

Alan's doing a great job at home taking care of the house and the boys. He's in mourning today after the Buckeyes' terrible loss to Florida in the BCS game last night. I am kind of glad I'm not at home!

All is Well

Mom got through her surgery fine. Thank You, God! The last time I spoke with Dad she was sleeping and on morphine for the pain. Bless her heart. I can't wait until I can see her. I will be leaving on Saturday after Ben's first Upwards basketball game at noon.

I went to the Beth Moore Bible study. It's called Daniel, Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy. It's going to be intense, that's for sure. Just getting the study book was intense! Jodi and I were able to reserve a copy at her church's bookstore, and he mom is picking them up tomorrow. During her 1 hour video yesterday she talked about giving something up for 6 weeks, and although that may sound so difficult, Catholics do it every year for Lent! So it's a not a big deal for me. I think I will give up something that I usually don't give up for Lent, but when I know it's for God, I can do it.

I am off to return the PJs Alan bought me for Christmas. Too small. Hopefully they'll have something I can exchange it for. I have always been a nightgown kind of girl. Guess it comes from getting a nightgown from Gramma every year for Christmas. We still do, even after all these years. Only one year, when I was in 7th grade, she gave us $20 instead. I bought a pair of Levi's that I wore at least 2x a week. Loved those things! (We could never afford Levi's growing up, so these were pretty special!) Anyway, I bought a pair of Big Dog flannel PJs for a scrapbooking getaway a few months ago, and now I am in love with PJs! So I do hope Kohl's has a pair that will actually fit my fat butt.

Thank You, God, for taking care of Mom.

Happy Anniversary

Well, today is my 20th wedding anniversary. Alan and I got married on a very cold and snowy evening in 1987, only 2 weeks after my college graduation. We were fools, I know, but here we are, 20 years later. Enough said. My gift to him (we never exchange gifts) is an Ohio State Buckeye quilted wallhanging. I didn't get to finish it today, but I'll post it once I'm done. It's going to look so cool, and I know he'll like it. I haven't sewn for him in a long time.

We celebrated by going out to lunch. We NEVER go out to eat but about once a year. The last time he and I went out to eat together was August 2005. So it's a big deal. He wanted to go to a "real" Italian restaurant that makes real meatballs. You have to understand that he's been spoiled by my mother's meatballs, and NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE can make them like her. So he refuses to go to the Olive Garden, which I love 'cause I can order something my kids will never eat at home like portabella mushroom ravioli with pesto sauce, but he said no, their meatballs are fake. So we go to this place called Bravo! Italiano. We were surprised to see that there was no offering of plain old spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. Alan asked the server who said it's not on the menu, but it can be ordered. I know Alan was so psyched for good meatballs, then here comes lunch. He gets ready, bites into a meatball and it is fresh from a frozen bag of meatballs! UGH! Needless to say, he was quite bummed out. Now I guess I'll need to find time to make some meatballs before I leave for PA on Saturday. You see, it's all in the basil, and my basil plant is long dead. I guess I'll have to check out Kroger or Jungle Jim's for some fresh basil.

My mom is having knee replacement surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30. Please say a prayer or two for her. I know she's a nervous wreck. She's had surgeries before, but she knows she'll be laid up for a bit, and I am sure it's going to be a painful recovery. But I am so glad she's finally doing it. She's been hobbling along for a long time now. I am bummed that I can't be there for her surgery, but I will be going to Carnegie (PA) on Saturday for a week or so. I love our sick leave plan at school. I'll be able to stay in PA to help Dad take care of Mom and Gram for a while. I just hope it'll be long enough.

Well, school starts for me tomorrow. I love 3 day weeks! I am also excited because I am starting a Beth Moore Bible study tomorrow with my good friend Jodi at her church. I'll miss next week's session, but I'll have time to catch up while I am at my parents' house.

This too shall pass

OK, so I have to explain why I named my blog "This too shall pass." Well, I chose it because it's my favorite mom-ism. My mother, Marianne, is full of wisdom and great mom-isms. This is my favorite one. It has gotten me through teething, night terrors, baby bottle addictions, biting, terrible twos, raising a teenager and everything in between. I decided to Google the phrase, and I found several sites that explained the origin of the phrase, "This too shall pass."

And This Too Shall Pass
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it."

"If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"

"It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of he poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.

He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.

That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: "gimel, zayin, yud", which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."

At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.

For me it means that this phase will pass...it usually means that a newer one will replace it. I can hear Mom saying, "This too shall pass. Don't worry about it!" It seems to make it better!

Happy New Year!

I have made only one New Year's resolution this year: to create a blog like my friend Jodi (http://nonsensicalravingsbyjodi.blogspot.com). I have been reading her blog faithfully for over a year, and I kept telling myself I could do it, too. So here's to a new year and a new blog.