Roll That Cute Kid Cell Footage

Well I said that one of the reasons I started this blog was to learn important computer skills. And uploading a video to my blog, from my cell phone at that, is definitely something I have never done before. I was in the process of undoing Abby's seat belt when I decided to try to capture a little video of her and send it to a few family members and friends. Afterall, she was restrained and couldn't escape. But the finished product was too large to send through the cell phone, and not all of it could even be posted here. So here it is. Enjoy!

Also, a reminder to all Catholics that Friay, February 29, 2008 is not just part of Leap Year, but is also the Fourth Friday of the liturgical season of Lent. Catholics are obligated to abstain from meat and meat-based products like broths and stocks. Also many parishes hold the Stations of the Cross devotion on Fridays of Lent. Check your local parishes for more information. Take care and God bless! :)

Abby's UPS Store Adventure

The past four days have been very busy and quite exhausting, especially since I have a touch of strep throat. I did run an errand this morning and thought I would share a couple of pictures of Abby. The photo quality is not the greatest as they are cell phone pictures. (My old LG took awesome cell phone pistures, but my Treo - eh, not so much.)

Abby applies some Next Day Air UPS stickers to herself.

I went to the UPS Store to fax some papers to our accountant this morning. It was somewhat busy and so we were there for about fifteen minutes or so. The owner, Karla, has a little weiner dog named Zoe. Usually little dogs like that are not terribly fond of young children. But surprisingly, Abby and Zoe got along fairly well. Abby was very well behaved and cute. So Karla rewarded her by giving her some of the Next Day Air stickers.

I don't know where she wants to go, but she will get there the next day via UPS. (That's Zoe chewing on one of her toys and Karla standing in the background.)

I hope to be back blogging in a day or two. Until then, take care and God bless. :)

Eggxit Polling

After a weekend hiatus from blogging, I have returned to post the results from the Egg Poll. The question posed to readers was: How do you like your eggs? The possible choices were Sunny Side Up, Over Easy, Ever Medium, Over Hard, Scrambled, Poached, Other, and I Don't Eat Eggs. Of the 14 people who voted, there were 16 voted cast. This means that one or two of the people voting pulled a Nader and split the voting.

The results were one vote each, or 7% of the vote for Sunny Side Up, Over Medium, Over Hard, Poached, and I Don't Eat Eggs. Two people each, or 14% each, voted for Over Easy and Other.

Sunny side up refers to eggs that are cooked until the whites set but are not flipped in the pan. Whereas over easy, over medium, and over hard refer to eggs that are cooked until the whites are set adn then flipped in the pan to cook the white on the other side. The terms easy, medium, and hard refer to how well the yoke is cooked after being flipped. Poached eggs are simmered in water and then there is the other category which could refer to sevral other methofs of cooking eggs, such as hardboiled.

But the winner is scrambled, garnering 50% of the vote! A little tip when cooking scrambled eggs is to add a splash of milk when whisking. The milk should have some fat in it. So use at least 1% fat cow's milk, goat, sheep, or even buttermilk. Nonfat doesn't work. The fat adds some fluffiness. If you need to use a non-dairy milk, then try a nut-based or seed-based milk. Soy milk makes the eggs tough and bean and rice milk is too thin and sweet. Almond milk is a better non-dairy alternative if you need one. Remember, you are only adding a small splash. Also, add a pea-sized drop of oil to your butter to prevent the butter from burning int he pan.

Thanks to all who voted. The new poll is up!

Until the next time, take care and God bless! :)

Gotta Love Plan B

Yesterday morning, James had to report for jury duty for the third day. The case was a civil trial between some homeowners and an oil company. On the first day, the trial was expected to last for a month or two. By the next day, they had settled some of the case and so the trial would not be as long as originally expected. But by yesterday, the judge explained that the whole thing had been settled. And so all those who reported for jury duty were dismissed. So it is back to work for him tomorrow. From six weeks to no trial is much better than planning on jury duty for the next couple months.

This afternoon, Alyssa had track practice and then goalkeeper training in Santa Barbara. But the weather got pretty cold and windy, and then the rain came. No torrential downpours or anything, just wet, cold, and windy weather. On my way to pick up Justina from school, Alyssa called me to come pick her up. Track practice had been cancelled. When I picked her up, she called the mudline to check on the field conditions for keeper training. The fields were closed; keeper training was cancelled. What was shaping up to be another drive to Santa Barbara would now a quiet night at home.

But for us, the most pleasant surprise came with Amanda. A couple weeks ago, Amanda pointed out a lump on the back of her skull. She was also experiencing some blurred vision in her right eye and some headaches. Two years ago, she got a concussion when she was hit on the right browbone. She had some blurred vision from that, but it eventually cleared up. Last year, she had a wry neck which spasmed a lot. When we felt the lump, it felt warm to the touch and it was tender when we pressed on it. Initially, we thought it was a boil. But it never got any bigger and no head formed on it. So we went to the pediatrician's office this afternoon.

Amanda saw the nurse practitioner as her primary care doctor was inavailable. We love this nurse practitioner. She has been with our medical group for as long as we have been going there, and I think the kids, especially Amanda, are very comfortable around her. She examined Amanda and said that it was a swollen lymph node. And she counselled Amanda on her diet, which could be the cause of her headaches. After the concussion two years ago, she had a complete eye exam by an opthamologist. So we will be scheduling her for an eye exam with him. Talk about being relieved though! The words, "I have this lump," conjure up all sorts of worry in a parents mind. A swollen lymph node, we can handle.

Yesterday, everything that we thought would happen didn't. Yesterday was all about Plan B. Yesterday was about sitting down as an entire family for a dinner of Lemon Chicken Piccata, green beans, salad, and rice pilaf. Yesterday was about saying grace together and thanking God for the wonderful food to nourish our bodies, our health, the rain to nourish the earth, and the talents given to my husband to allow him to have employment in a job he enjoys. You just got to love Plan B.

Some Gentle Reminders . . .

This is the third Friday of the liturgical season of Lent. All Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat and meat broths and stocks. Also many parishes have Stations of the Cross devotions on Fridays of Lent. Call your local parishes for times.

There are only two more day to vote in the Egg Poll! Send your friends over and vote!

Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

Welcome Back

Last night, Alyssa resumed her club soccer practices in Santa Barbara. James and I trade off driving her down there. Tonight was my turn. So I packed her some leftovers in the bento box. Then I picked her up from track, ran her home to grab her soccer bag and toss in a load of laundry. (It was her night.) And off we went.

In previous posts, I may have mentioned that Alyssa was anxious to get back to her club team. Well as we got closer to our exit, she got more and more excited. When we drove through the parking lot, she spotted some of her team mates. I don't think I was able to stop the car before she jumped out and ran over to them.

I took my knitting, a magazine to read, and Alyssa's sweater that has been in the mending queue for quite sometime. I read some of my magazine and knitted some of my shawl. (You remember the shawl.) But I just didn't have enough light to sew the buttons on Alyssa's sweater. Then I remembered that there was going to be a lunar eclipse. So I watched as the moon slowly disappeared. I had heard that we would be able to see Saturn, but the skies were not clear enough last night.

Now a lot of people think it is nuts to drive an hour to soccer practice. And for the most part, I would tend to agree. But you're saying this to someone who drove their now 8-year-old to Los Angeles for preschool and therapy every week for four years. Anyway, Alyssa and I have some wonderful conversations along the way as I am sure she also does the same with James. She also does her homework along the way. And then there's the Cold Springs Bridge on Highway 154.

In the 1978 Disney movie, The Cat from Outer Space, starring Ken Berry and Sandy Duncan, there was a scene in that movie where Ken Berry flew a plane under a bridge. (Okay, so it was his stunt double, but just follow me here.) Well that bridge was the Cold Springs Bridge on Highway 154 between Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara. Whenever we drive over that bridge, we race each other to say, "You know, this bridge was the bridge use in the movie The Cat from Outer Space!" It's a corny thing, but it's our corny thing that we do together.

In Other News . . .

Yesterday as not nearly as busy a day I thought it was, but after reflecting on what happened throughout the day, I can't believe how much driving I did. As usual, I took the older three to school. Then I went and put forty dollars of gas in the suburban at $3.29 per gallon. (No, you heard me correctly.) Then I went to the post office and mailed some meeting notices for my 4-H projects. I had to go get a few things at the grocery store, but I decided to do that when I picked up Justina from school later. So we went home to see Daddy before he had to report for jury duty.

James had first reported on Tuesday and was sent home. He had to return by 9:30 Wednesday morning. Abby was so happy that Daddy was home. But it was short-lived and he had to get going. As he walked out the door, she asked him, "Daddy, can I go wif you?" He told her that he was sorry that she couldn't. She was crushed and cried for several minutes after he coldly strolled out the front door. Geez Daddy, why don't you club a baby seal while you're at it.

Well, he was sent home early again and told to return the next day. And all was right with Abby's world once again. In fact, as he was on the computer, she sat on his lap with her magic blankie, sucking her thumb, and fell asleep. It was precious. So she went down for nap early.

I had to take Amanda to a tailor to be re-measured for a junior bridesmaid's dress for my sister Joan's wedding. When we got home, I tossed the lasagna in the oven, fixed a salad, and sliced some sourdough bread for dinner before I left. Amanda went to dinner with Colin. James fed Justina and Abby the lasagna. Then he took Justina to her gymnastics class

That's all for now folks. Until the next time, take care and God bless.

P.S. Only 3 more days left to vote in the Egg Poll!

If That Don't Take the Cake

Last night was our 4-H Community Meeting and Cake Auction fundraiser. The Community Meeting is a monthly meeting in which the whole club meets. The officers run the meeting and the kids give reports to the club on their various projects, committees, and learn how a meeting is run. At the conclusion of each month's meeting, there is usually a special event. Last night's event was the Cake Auction.

Each family in the club donates a cake, either store-bought or homemade. The cakes are separated into categories, like Most Colorful, Best Valentine's Day Cake, etc. In the past, there was a greater number of store-bought cakes than homemade and decorated cakes. But this year, I was really amazed at all the homemade and creatively designed cakes. There was even one shaped like a lamb lying down in the pasture and frosted beautifully. The winner of each category gets a higher opening bid. The others start out at five dollars. Some went for ten and some went for sixty. But the Best Cake Overall of the evening was the "Good vs. Evil" cake. It had two castles, one bright and cheery pink and the other dark and dreary. And for winning Best Cake Overall, it also earned another distinctive honor - the F.O.P. Cake. The monies raised from the sale of this cake are donated by the 4-H club to the International Fibrodysplasia Ossicans Progressiva Association.

Stephanie Snow is a member of our club and also Amanda's best friend. She has a rare genetic disorder called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, or simply referred to as F.O.P. A genetic mutation causes bone to form in the soft connective tissues of the skeleton, eventually encasing a once mobile skeleton with an immobilizing one. Simply removing the bony growth surgically is not and option. The bone regrows more vigorously than before. At the present, there is no cure. However, there is hope.

Two years ago, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA discovered the needle in the genetic haystack. They discovered the gene that causes F.O.P. - the "skeleton gene". With this discovery, they can now create the disease model in animals and test drug therapies that can "turn off" the mutation and remove the bony growth so that F.O.P. patients can regain some of their mobility. Finding the gene has been the answer to many prayers. And there is every hope that our prayers for a cure will be answered.

In Other News . . .

James had the dreaded jury duty this morning. He was sent home at noon and asked to return the next day. Abby was very happy to have Daddy home because she is afterall, Daddy's little girl. Justina reluctantly returned to school from her flu funk this weekend. At the Community Meeting, she gave a project report for the Primary Project. She and another primary member showed off their fleece pillows.

Amanda helped organize the cakes for the cake auction. She and Stephanie read the project report for the Sheep Project. They also talked about going to see the Western Bonanza Junior Livestock Show in Paso Robles. Alyssa had track practice after school today and now she is doing triple jump in addition to hurdles. She had to arrive at the meeting site thirty minutes early for her Turkey Project meeting. And since several members were absent with the flu (not the avian strain), including a few of the officers, Alyssa was madam vice-president for the evening.

James was playing with Abby outside during most of the meeting. However, when I got up to speak to the club about the Livestock Meeting at the fairgrounds, she heard me and came running down the aisle. I picked her up for a bit and continued talking. It was cute I suppose.

Well, that is all for now. Until the next time, take care, thank the good Lord above for the strength and health we have, and God bless. :)

P.S. Welcome to Pat Skinner of Troy, Ohio to Le Frappr Map. Thank you for sticking a pin in and I hope you are enjoying the blog.

Remember that there are only three days left to the Egg Poll. Send your friends over and have them tell us just how do they like their eggs!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

It's time for all little girls named Cathleen to go to sleep. If you substitute my name for Amanda, Alyssa, Justina, or Abby, then I have said this same phrase to them when they fight off the sleepy monster that will inevitably get them. Well it is now time for me to say that to myself. So I am going to change things up a bit, and post in the morning to reflect what happened the day before instead of what happened that day.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), or as I like to call it "Hell To My Life", this is a special coding used to publish content on the internet. This coding determines paragrahs, boldface and itallic fonts, font size, picture placement, hypelinking, and tons more. When typing out your text, these codes are nestled among your prose inside a bunch of "< >" with command words inside of them like "div" for divide or "p" for new paragraph. And with every command, there has to be an end command that is preceded by a "/". Confusing? Well, if what you posted comes out wonky, then you need to go back and sift through all those "< >" and "/" to determine what went wrong. In short, HTML is so lousy that if it may be Al Gore claimed that he invented HTML, he might earn some credability.

Herniating my corneas trying to find errors in all that muck has prevented me from getting to bed at a decent hour. In fact, I get so frustrated with editing with HTML that the therapeutic aspect of clearing my mind before bedtime becomes lost. So for that reason, I have decided to write my drafts at night before bedtime, and post them in the next day. This way, I can get my brain dump in before bedtime and edit it in the morning with a fresh pair of eyes. So if the three people who read this blog - me, my husband, and my mother - would indulge me in this, then I would be much obliged.

Until the next time, take care, God bless, and good night. :)

P.S. There's only 4 more days left in Egg Poll!

President's Day Weekend Hiatus

I took this President's Day weekend off from blogging. Considering the only way we commemorate this weekend is by taking a ski trip or going to a white sale at Macy's, I would do neither and take a break from blogging and Twitter instead. That is not to say however that this weekend was without news and happenings.

Amanda and Alyssa had Friday off from school. I am not exactly sure as to why but they did. Alyssa had a light soccer practice at school at 10 a.m., their last practice before their CIF playoff game the following day. Amanda's boyfriend Colin came over, took her to lunch, and spent the afternoon here at the house. They wanted to go over to his house, but his mother was not going to be there. Yeah . . . sorry kiddos, not happening!

Justina complained about not feeling good in the morning before leaving for school. Like the compassionate and nurturing parent I am, I told her that she was tough and could make it through the day. Our kids are drama queens sometimes. They get a hangnail and scream as if they have massive blood loss. It is difficult to tell when they are faking it. But I received a call from the school a couple hours later saying that she was not able to focus in class and was complaining that her stomach was achy. I picked her up from school, still thinking she was faking it in order to come home. We didn't even make it out of the driveway before she grabbed the trash bag in the car and threw up in it. That'll learn me!

Amanda and James had trap shooting for 4-H Friday night. They had a good turnout despite it being cold. Twenty kids showed up and they shot six rounds. The last round was with some of the more experienced kids. James had them yell out another word instead of "pull". Some of the kids were so preoccupied with what word they would use that they missed the clays entirely. He said they had fun with it. The beauty of this particular 4-H project is that the kids must be accompanied by a parent. They cannot just be dropped off. For a lot of the kids, it becomes that special thing they get to do with their mom or dad, mostly their dads. But there are some moms there too.

Saturday was the day Alyssa's team played against Santa Ana Valley in the first round of the CIF playoffs. She had to be at the school by 8:30 a.m. to get on the bus. James and I had planned on going down to watch the game. And our dear friend Tina graciously agreed to babysit Abby and Justina for the entire day. Since Justina was sick and didn't eat much on Friday, we told her that she couldn't play basketball or soccer that day. She was upset, but we compromised. It was her last basketball game of the season and the team was meeting for lunch afterwards. She got a ride to the game with her coach's family and cheered her team on. Then she went to the lunch after the game and came home.

Tina was present when Amanda, Alyssa, and Justina were born. She is now remarried and has a busy life with Keith. And our family is busy as well. She has spent more time overall with Amanda and Alyssa than with Justina and, even more so, Abby. So it was great that she got to spend time with them. They had a blast. Tina wore little Abigail out! They went on walks and to the park. She is a mentor with the Big Sister, Little Sister Program, and her "little sister" Marvella came along too. I think they all had a great time with their "Auntie Tina". And we greatly appreciate Tina's help. She is a dear friend and one of a very select few with whom we would entrust the care of our children with for an entire day like that.

As for the playoff game, St. Joe's fell to Santa Ana Valley 0-1. The Lady Knights dominated the second half and had numerous scoring opportunities that unfortunately didn't pan out. But the team they played was very physical and the ref was also physical, as in physically there but not mentally. The girls played with such tremendous heart. When the senior starters first played as freshman four years ago, they only won one game. This is the second year they made it to the playoffs. They have a lot to be proud of!

For making the CIF playoffs this year, everyone on Alyssa's team gets this patch to put on their letterman jackets!

Amanda hung out with her friend Stephanie the whole weekend! We dropped her off Saturday morning on our way out of town, and picked her up on our way home. Then on Sunday morning, Stephanie and her dad picked Amanda up and drove to Paso Robles to see some of Cal Poly's Western Bonanza Junior Livestock Show at the Mid-State Fairgrounds. This is one of the biggest youth livestock shows on the west coast. There were lambs, goats, pigs, and steers, and some of their friends from 4-H and FFA were there watching or showing. I picked her up to go to Mass that evening and then she went back over to spend the night. Stephanie's grandmother came over today and they made cakes together for the Cake Auction tomorrow night at our 4-H meeting.

James took Justina to 7:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday morning. The two of them went to the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast in the parish hall afterward. They then went to Best Buy and walked around. Abby was still worn out from her super Saturday with Auntie Tina and napped a great part of the day. That afternoon, James wasn't feeling all that hot - achiness, stomach upset, headache. Seems that he caught whatever bug Justina had. Amanda, Alyssa, and I went to 6:00 p.m. And Alyssa had her friend Patricia over for the night.

This morning, Alyssa had her first track practice at school. She had never done track before and had no idea what event she would so. I have to tell you that my jaw about hit the floor when I picked her up and she told me she would be doing hurdles! I really do not know how this will all play out though. Her club soccer season is starting back up and I am concerned about conflicts with the two schedules. There is a parent meeting later this week. So we will get more information and see if track is doable. Her first obligation is to her club soccer team. So stay tuned for that.

Justina went to her friend Hailey's house and played there. The two of them painted their fingers and managed to get some of the polish on their fingernails too. Hailey painted Justina's nails blue and Justina painted Hailey's nails pink. She'll have to take it off for school tomorrow though. They also jumped on the trampoline, rode scooters, and roller-skated. I picked her up this afternoon and she went to soccer practice.

Well that's the recap! Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

P.S. Thanks to Greg from Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada for sticking it to Le Frappr Map!

Saint Valentine's Day: Beyond Hallmark

Today is February 14th, Saint Valentine's Day.

Yes, in this day and age of the political correctness and the separation of Church and State, it is very conceivable that many do not realize that this day is a feast day of a Christian saint

There are many Valentines mentioned in the early martyrologies of the Church, especially those buried in the catacombs along the Flaminian Way, the main artery between Gaul and Rome in ancient Roman times. The road was started by Roman general Gaius Flaminius in the early 200's. Catacombs built along this roadway were the final resting place for many Christians persecuted under the Goth emperor Claudius II.

Claudius was experiencing difficulty in recruiting men to serve in his armies. He was in competition with the choice for men to marry and remain at home with their families. So he put strict restrictions on marriage. He was no friend of Christianity either. Valentine, a priest, secretly married young couples and gave aid to many persecuted Christians under Claudius. Since such aid was considered criminal, he was arrested, and was asked to renounce his Christian faith during his imprisonment. Refusing to do so, he was beatened, stoned, and eventually beheaded on February 14, about the year 270.

As I mentioned earlier, there were many Valentines who were martyred in those days. There is also a Valentine who was listed as a bishop who was martyred around the same time as the priest, and also was buried on the Flaminian Way. With so many possible Valentines, one might think the saint to be a legendary figure. However, archeologists have excavated catacombs and a church dedicated in honor of the martyred priest, giving credence that he did indeed exist.

As for how St. Valentine's Day became a more celebrated feast day and eventually the secular holiday as it is known today, the feast day replaced a pagan custom practiced for several centuries in Roman times. On February 15th, Romans would celebrate Lupercalia in honor of the Roman god Lupercus. Young men would draw the names of young women and keep them as sexual indentures for the following year. Pope Gelasius I set out to replace the Lupercalian tradition by having the young men and woman draw the names of saints and to carry out devotion to those chosen saint rather than participate in the sex slave lottery. In 496, instead of the date being the feast day of Lupercus, it became the feast day of St. Valentine by Pope Gelasius' implementation.

Known as the patron saint of love, young couples, happy marriages, beekeepers, fainting, and even epilepsy, St. Valentine could also be a very realvant patron saint in this day and age of political correctness and mucked-up definition of what family should be. How many of us defend our Christian faith or take it for granted? How many of us truly understand the profundity of being able to openly practice any religion in this country and not be incarcerated or slaughtered for doing so? Do we deeply cherish our families and nurture faith in our homes?

No-fault divorce, abortion, gay marriage, and so on all threaten the structural integrity of the family. Looking back over the past 40 years of liberal experimentation, has our society really benefitted from much of it? In this so-called more civilized world we live in, it is difficult for us to imagine that thousands of men like St. Valentine died for preserving such things like marriage and family in spite of severe religious persecution.

The ultimate goal in Christian marriage is to want the best for our spouses, and that highest benchmark is Heaven. We need to reflect on the the blessings we have in our spouse and in our children. The family is the first church our children experience afterall. We must remind ourselves that the person sitting across from us at the family dinner table is not there by accident but rather by divine appointment. And we must ask ourselves if we are properly raising them up in the Christian faith in a country that still allows us to do so.

St. Valentine, priest and martyr, pray for us!

What's on Your Needles?

Here's a little feature that I like to call What's on Your Needles? For those who know me it is no big secret that I love to do needlework. I enjoy knitting, crochet, needlepoint, and cross-stitch. Although, I haven't done needlepoint and cross-stitch in awhile. Too much detail with so much distractions in my life these days. Knitting and crochet are very portable and if the stitch pattern is not too intricate, I can pretty much do these without having to constantly look at my work.

But the no brainer garter stitch and stockinette stitch was starting to wear thin. Because I have a very active toddler, for the past couple years now, I have only cranked out simple projects like scarves, potholders, and quickie blankets. I needed to do something different - both in finished product and in stitch pattern. I needed not so much a challenge as a change in pace. I needed to get back to more creative things like the cabled afghan I knitted 15 years ago or the toddler dress I made for a baby gift 8 years ago. When Abby is older and I can focus on something more intricate, then I'll take on a challenge like the DKNY Tree of Life Sweater. Okay, maybe not quite that, but definitely something more challenging.

I mentioned a few nights ago that I had started a shawl. James and I have created this wonderful porch, almost an outdoor room. I wanted something to wrap up in when I go to sit out there. And this is the first project that I have ever knitted for me. Well, I was not pleased with how it was turning out. So I ripped it out and stuck the yarn in Le Stash to be repurposed later.

The yarn was Brown Sheep Company's Nature Spun sport weight 100% wool yarn in charcoal (color no. 880S). Usually, my experiences of working with pure wool yarns are not positive ones. Wool eats away at my skin as the yarn moves in and out of my fingers while knitting. If I work with wool at all, it is often in a blend of other fibers. That being said, the wooliness of the yarn was not the problem. It was actually very nice to work with. I concluded that it was the weight of the yarn. Sport weight didn't add the meat and bones I wanted in the shawl. It also didn't jive well with the stitch pattern I was doing.

So I went with another yarn, Cotton Fleece, also by Brown Sheep Company, Inc. This worsted weight yarn is 80% cotton and 20% Merino wool. The color is Wolverine Blue (CW-585), or for those people like me who don't know the correlation between wolverines and the color blue . . . it's navy blue. Each skein is 3.5 ounces (100 grams) and ± 215 yards (197 meters). The gauge is 5 stitches per inch with a US 6 (4.00 mm) needle. Except, however, I am using Clover brand bamboo 40-inch circular needles in US 10 (6.00 mm).

I am using a stitch pattern known as a trinity stitch. On the wrong side of your work, you knit, purl, knit into the same stitch, increasing the one stitch into three. Then you purl three stitches together, decreasing the three stitches into one stitch. On the right side of the work, you purl across, no increase or decrease. The resulting pattern is somewhat lacey and open where the increase stitches are and has clusters where the decrease stitches are. Since it is a triangular shawl, there is an increase stitch at either end.

A look at the trinity stitch pattern.

So far, I am really liking the way it is unfolding. The trinity stitch pattern is showing up much better with this yarn than with the previous one. And I have been cranking it out a a pretty good pace too. I started the shawl yesterday afternoon by casting on just one stitch. The height of the shawl is now 12 inches. I will update my progress later as I know you are all on the edge of your seats. Ha!

In Other News . . .

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Justina had to clean her guinea pig cages today. So we did that after she completed her homework. We even got the rabbit cage washed. It was too cold today to turn the rabbit and guinea pigs out on the lawn for run-around time though. After she finished the cages, she was off to soccer practice.

That's about the long, medium, and short of it of it all. Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

Cage Cleaning

I am a little tired and don't feel up to blogging much tonight. Besides, nothing much happened around here today, which is rare but nice. So here are some clips of Justina cleaning out her guinea pig cages. On this day, she had cleaned out the sows' cages. (Tomorrow, she needs to do them again.) She put them out on a patch of lawn inside a play yard as she pulled out the litter pans. There was a step stool inside so that they had a place to hide under.




Then I help her scrape the old shavings into the trash can. (It is too high up and awkward for her to hold the pan and do it by herself.) She uses an S.O.S. pad and some elbow grease, scrubs the inside of the pans, hoses them clean, wipes them dry, and leaves them out to dry out a little more. Then she adds kiln-dried pine shavings to the pans and returns them back to the cages. The pans slide into the bottom of the cages like drawers. (Note: NEVER use cedar shavings with guinea pigs. The fumes accumulates in their small bodies over time and kills them.) As the pans are air-drying, she scrubs their feed dishes.

Of course, Abby loved watching them. And she thought the whole process was quite amusing.

Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

Our Lady of Lourdes

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. What makes this day even more celebratory is that 150 years ago, the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to a poor and sickly peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France. Our Lady's message to Bernadette was to pray for sinners. Bernadette prayed the Rosary and kissed the ground of the apparition site several times as a form of penance for sinners everywhere, at Our Mother's instruction.

During one of the apparitions, Bernadette was directed to scratch away at the ground, from which a stream sprung forth. Over the years, the waters from this stream have been instrumental in many miraculous healings. A few years ago, my mother accompanied a group from her parish that was led by their pastor, Fr. Craig Harrison, to Lourdes and Fatima, Portugal. I remember her telling me about the crutches that lined the walkway to the waters.

For Amanda's eighth grade graduation, my mother gave her a rosary from Lourdes that had been made of rose petals that had been pressed tightly into beads. She also brought back some Lourdes water. And on January 21, 2006, our Abby was baptized by Fr. Craig with water he had brought back from Lourdes.

The apparitions at Lourdes carried the great message of the need for prayer and penance, but the even greater message of the healing power of God's Mercy. What does all this mean, especially during this liturgical season of Lent? The Lourdes message parallels the spirit of the Lenten season so seamlessly. We are called to pray, do penance, fast, and give alms. The more typical execution of Lenten sacrifice is to "give up" something, such as chocolate or cheeseburgers. But more so, we are asked to turn away from those things that interfere with our relationship with God. This increased prayer, penance, and giving deepens our faith, our hope, and our love of Christ whose Death and Resurrection is the peak of God's Mercy. Quite remarkable to reflect upon really.

As for dear Bernadette, she lived out her life in Nevers, France as a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame, where she embraced prayer and suffering. She died April 16, 1879. When the cause for her canonization was opened, Bernadette's body was exhumed from its burial site on the convent grounds in 1908, some 28 years after her death. Her body had remained intact and uncorrupted. She was beatified in 1925 and then canonized in 1933. Her body now lies in a glass reliquary in the convent chapel, still uncorrupted.

Our Lady of Lourdes, ora pro nobis!

In Other News . . .

Abby and I had Mommy and Me gymnastics today. Amanda went shopping for prizes for the Cake Auction coming up next week at our 4-H meeting. Alyssa had soccer practice for their upcoming CIF playoff game in Santa Ana on Saturday. Justina had a full dance card today. She is one of the members of my Primary 4-H Project which met today after school. She also had practice for basketball and arena soccer, which she only attended half of each. (Basketball ends this Saturday so that is why there is an overlap.)

As for me, I started a shawl a couple weeks ago. I decided that I wasn't fond of how it looked thus far. So I ripped it out, and will re-purpose the yarn for another project. So I started another one with different yarn instead. Stay tuned for that.

Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

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Not Breakfast at Tiffany's

In Old Town Orcutt, there is a family-owned restaurant called Kay's Orcutt Country Kitchen that happens to be a family favorite. On Friday mornings, Amanda and Alyssa like to get up and go eat breakfast there with James at 5:00 a.m. This is kind of difficult for Justina to do, especially on school days. But she is aware that this ritual happens and so she often feels left out.

Last night, Amanda and Alyssa spent the night at friends' homes. So Justina had the grand idea of James and her going to Kay's early in the morning. She came in and woke Daddy up at 7:00 a.m. (Thank goodness, her idea of early is incongruent with the 5:00 a.m. timeframe.) James had told me about the plans but Justina wanted it to be a secret. So I acted quite surprised when they came home and told me where they had been. It was really cute and I am glad that they got to do that.

The girls came home from their friends' houses. James and Alyssa went up to St. Joe's where she practiced her goal clearances and drop kicks. Amanda watched Abby during her naptime as Justina and I went up to Trader Joe's in Arroyo Grande to get some groceries. When we got home though, I open the back of the suburban and one of the grocery bag spilled out onto the driveway, splattering the carton of eggs and a quart-sized container of yogurt allover. We put the groceries up and went out and hosed off the driveway. James spent a few minutes this evening doing keeper training with Justina. He taught her how to dive and improve her drop kicks.

The plan was to attend the 6:00 p.m. Mass because Amanda and Alyssa had Confirmation class after, and what's more is that we were going to attempt to go Mass together. This meant taking Abby with us. (Cue scary and suspenseful music.) For the past year, it has been one or two of us would go to one mass while the rest of the family would go to another, minus Abby. It was usually too long for her and most of the Mass times overlapped with her sleep patterns. In addition, Abby's tantrums are legendary. But Abby is two years, three months now. And we have been slowly getting the screaming fits under control. So as in the book The Wind in the Willows, it was time to make Abby "a sensible toad".

I gave her a pre-Mass snack of a banana and half of a peanut butter-jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread so she wouldn't get too cranky. She took a small backpack to have and, of course, we took magic blankie (a.k.a. meebee). I don't think the backpack had anything in it. She just likes to wear it. Well I am pleased to report that she was very good. After the first reading when we say, "Thanks be to God," she blurted out during the silence, "Thank you God. Amen." It was cute and made us smile. She did start to get a little squirmy during the Eucharistic Prayers. So rather than risk her melting down completely during the Consecration, I just took her to the gathering area in the back and waited. At the Our Father, we went back inside. All in all, she did very good.

Justina's school has Mass on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and Stations of the Cross on Wednesdays at 11:15 a.m. In the past, I haven't been able to attend these because I had Abby with me. After a few more times of good behavior, I will attempt going, and maybe even try attending the 8:00 a.m. daily mass more frequently as well. Stay tuned for that.

We're Out of Toilet Paper!

The Roll Poll is closed and the results are in! The question was: What direction should the roll of toilet paper be hung? The choices were: 1) end in the front, 2) end in the back, 3)who cares?, and 4) it goes on a holder? Of the 9 people who voted, 8 of you voted that the end should be in the front (88%), and only 1 person voted in the "who cares?" category (11%). I was one of the voters in the majority. All I can say to the person who does not care how the roll is hung is that there is nothing more annoying than having to do the "hit and spin" when you need a square in the middle of the night. Plus it looks better. Afterall, that is how the hotels hang them but they fold the end into a triangle. But who among us has time for such origami! I am, of course, expressing my opinion which is one of the fundamental joys of blogging.

Thank you to those who voted. There is now a new poll up. So tell me just how do you like them eggs. The poll will be up open until Sunday, February 24th, 10:00 p.m. PST.

Until the next time all, take care and God bless. :)

P.S. Thanks to Dawne Magee of Wetumpka, AL, Nonie of Bakersfield, CA, Bob McWilliams of Tracy, CA, Michael Kuypers of Utica, MI, and James Moses of Orcutt, CA for sticking a pin in Le Frappr Map!

A Formal Affair to Remember

Tonight was the Winter Formal at St. Joe's. And at the last minute on Thursday, Alyssa decided to go with a group of friends. Now, most mothers would panic because that leaves two days to get a dress and all that goes with it. But fortunately, Alyssa had already decided to wear her dress from Homecoming. She had her make-up done at the Mac counter at Macy's and then headed over to her friend's house to finish getting ready. We curled her hair and put it up in a cute ponytail.

Then two of the parents drove the ten kids to Sam and Andy's Giant Manahattan Pizza for dinner. Another mother and I were the after dinner carpool to the dance. There is a rule in our house about dating: no dating until your junior year. Alyssa said she liked going in a large group though. She said that this way you are not stuck trying to figure out what to talk about with your date for the next five hours. Smart girl. She gets to watch all her otehr friends make dumb dating mistakes and hopefully learn from them.

Also, she took her soccer cleats with her to the dance. Her team planned to take a group picture in their cleats and their formal dresses. Unfortunately, that was the only picture she had taken. She said that she felt awkward taking a picture by herself and none of her other single friends had brought money for photos. But Mom managed to get a few shots in before the dance.

Tonight was also a benefit dinner at Justina's school. We have never been to the dinner, but I always volunteer for the clean-up. So for the next couple hours, I helped clear tables and put up the chairs and so on. Then I headed back over to St. Joe's to pick up Alyssa and her friend Patricia and Patricia's boyfriend Nick. We dropped Nick off at his house and then Alyssa spent the night at Patricia's. I think they all had a lovely time.

In Other News . . .

Justina is finishing her basketball season. Next weekend is her last game. But today she started her Arena Soccer League. So there was an overlap in the two sports for today. At 8:00 a.m. she had a basketball game and at 11:15 she had her first arena soccer game. It was an unusually hot day today - around 85˚F. The soccer arena is on astroturf which usually makes things hotter. After the game, Amanda went over to her friend Stephanie's house to hang out and is spending the night.

It is official. St. Joe's girls soccer has finished third in the Los Padres League, clinching berth in the CIF playoffs! The playoff schedule will be announced Monday. Way to go Lady Knights!

Well the hour is late and I am about to turn back into a pumpkin. Until the next time, bibbity bobbity boo.

P.S. There's 21 hours left to vote in the Roll Poll. Also, stop by Le Frappr Map and grab a pin and stick it!

Clippy Clippy Bang Bang

This morning Abby had an appointment for a haircut. Actually it was just to get her bangs clipped. We could no longer see her eyes and her bangs were collecting food particles, household objects, and stray pets. It had been several months since she had a haircut. So she was pretty apprehensive about the whole thing.

Our hairdresser, Wanda, is a real pro. She had me hold Abby in my lap, facing forward. But Abby was still pretty anxious. So Wanda showed her her collection of pink combs. This peaked her interest. So she handed her three combs to hold and look at, hoping she would be too distracted to notice the scissords. As Abby looked at her treasures, Wanda went to work on her bangs. It seemed to work because Abby kept saying "combs, combs, combs," over and over again. Hey, she's two! Anything is exciting at two.

Now there is something about Abby and loud appliances. She is terrified of the vacuum cleaner, the power drill, the blender, and the hairdryer. I am sure it is a noise thing. Well, after she was done, Wanda reached for the hairdryer to blow the hair off my shirt. Abby went ballistic! I had completely forgotten to tell Wanda not to use the dryer.

Anyway, for the rest of the day, Abby walked around saying, "I got a haircut," and "See Abby's eyeballs now." And yes, you can see her pretty baby blues now.

Crack Cocaine Dolce Latte

Starbucks: Welcome back to Starbucks Cathleen! Your usual?

Cathleen: Yes, please, and make it a Venti

Starbucks: Certainly! Would you like extra meth . . . er, I mean extra foam?

Cathleen: No thanks. But could you add a little extra of that heroine syrup this time please?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I rarely drank coffee, let alone those lattes, cappuccinos, and frappuccinos, or whatever. And as I also mentioned in the same post, I decided to get something at Starbucks so that I could sip on something warm at Alyssa's soccer game in Templeton on Monday. I went for the Cinnamon Dolce Latte. And I have had one everyday since. I even had two on Tuesday.

Yep, you heard me correctly - two in one day. Tuesday afternoon, I picked Amanda up from school and headed over to get Justina from her school. There just so happens to be a Starbucks in the grocery store next door to her school. I made the comment to Amanda that I wished I had never drank that stupid latte because now I want another one. She said that I should treat myself to one. I looked over at her and said that she was just saying that so she could get something at Starbucks too. She giggled and confirmed my suspicions. So into the grocery store parking lot we went. Afterall, I had to grab some lettuce for a dinner salad for that evening. So I was going to the store anyway.

After dinner, I asked James if he wanted some coffee before we headed to the game. You know, it gets cold at those nighttime soccer games. So back to the grocery store I went for his coffee. And I figured since I was there anyway . . . maybe I should get something warm to drink also.

The next offense was after Mass on Ash Wednesday, on my way to the fairgrounds for a Junior Livestock meeting. This time I sunk even lower. I went to a different supplier - one with a drive-thru window! And to make it even worse, I was on my cell phone during the whole buy. Nothing says Lenten sacrifice like indulging in a high calorie coffee drink while sitting in your SUV in the drive-thru while yapping on the cell phone to your older brother.

But this morning, I went back to the neighborhood dealer, at the grocery store. It was then I knew I hit rock bottom. The girl behind the counter asked me if I wanted my usual. What! Already I am considered a frequent customer? Lord help me! At least we are not on a first name basis. Yet. As if that was not enough to keep me away, tomorrow Abby has a haircut scheduled at the salon across the street from the crack house . . . I mean coffee house. And I can't wait to get one before I take her to her appointment. I tell you, it is no coincidence that both coffee and cocaine come from Colombia.

And spare me the lecture about the calories in these things. I know! People still smoke cigarettes despite the warning labels on the package, don't they?. (heavily sighing) Perhaps, any of you out there reading could consider this a cry for help. I have become the Amy Winehouse of java . . . the Britney Spears of espresso. Okay, I know. Enough with the melodramatics. But maybe my family would like to hold an intervention. I can bring the Starbucks gallon-sized Traveler which serves 12.

Reminder . . .

Tomorrow is the first Friday of the liturgical season of Lent. Catholics, 14 years and older, are obliged to abstain from eating meat or meat stocks and broths. This does not apply to eggs and dairy products. Also, during Lent, it is customary to participate in Stations of the Cross. (One of my favorite hymns, Stabat Mater is sung between each station.) Check for times in local parishes and try to participate in this devotion. Some parishes even have Benediction afterward.

There are 2 more days to vote in the Roll Poll. Send someone over to vote! And please add a pin to Le Frappr Map. (Sorry, anonymous pins are not accepted.)

In Other News . . .

Alyssa's team had their last league game tonight at home against Santa Maria High. Santa Maria has not won a game all season. In fact, I don't think they have won a game in two years, but don't quote me on the latter. The last time, St. Joe's played them, they won 11-0. This time, the coach played the non-starters and then some of the starters but not in their usual positions. Alyssa played in the seoncd half in goal. Santa Maria did manage to fire off a shot which Alyssa saved. However, all of us who were watching are still mystified about what happened next.

The ref called a foul against St. Joe's. The forward managed to get her shot off with out any interference from the defender who was alongside her. So the call made absolutely no sense. But since it was in the penalty box, that means a direct penalty kick. Alyssa made an incredible dive and got the ball in the tips of her fingers but not well enough in her palms. The bounce rolled out of her hand after she landed. Those PKs are rough, and sometimes it is enough for a keeper to say that they at least got their hand on it. And she did just that. So we were proud of her. St. Joe's won 3-1.

The Lompoc-Cabrillo game was tonight and they need to tie each other in order for St. Joe's to place second in league and go onto the playoffs. If not, then they are looking at playing a wild card game next week. We'll find out tomorrow when the paper comes out. Stay tuned!

Last night, I was in a bit of a funk. I started to blog, but I kept getting on this depressing tangent. So I just abandoned ship and went to bed. In the words of Kenny Rogers, "You gotta know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run." Or in my case, know when to turn off the computer and go to bed.

Until the next time, Go Lady Knights! :)

Check Yes or No

Well today is the Primary Election here in California. Our polling place was at the hall at Justina's school. So after I dropped her off in the car line, I parked the car and Abby and I went in. The lady handed me my ballot tucked inside a cover. I took it out and walked over to my booth. Abby sat down on the floor and curiously asked me if I was coloring. I finished marking the relatively short ballot and walked back over to hand over the cover and the pen. The lady cautioned me to keep my ballot secret and keep the cover on as I walked it to the machine.

Now in my teens and twenties, I often found the phenomena of age related cantankerousness and crotchetiness something that I would never succumb to. But now, as I am older, I have come to realize that what I mistook for age-related cantankerousness and crotchetiness was really just feeling jaded and quite sick of it all, at least with regards to politcis and government. I simply told the lady at the polling place that I didn't care who saw what I voted for.

By the way, I voted no on everything. The government has sucked enough of our tax dollars for the same damned supposed things every year, not accomplishing anything with that money, and then still wanting more. And what's worse is the ads are geared towards guilting you into forking over the dough. Vote for this measure or your county will no longer have any emergency services. Or vote for this proposition or you will shut down public education forever! Please! I have teenagers. Your guilt trips are powereless and ineffective on me!

And as for the presidential candidate, I voted for Fred Thompson. Yes, I know he is no longer in the race, but who cares. I won't vote for the lesser of two evils of the most popular candidates. I am fed up with the idea that we should vote for who we think would win or who would be the best person to beat the other guy. Vote for what you believe in. That's the whole point! Now, there's the cantankerous and crotchety political rant of a jaded aging woman. Enough said!

In Other News . . .

St. Joe's went up against Santa Ynez in soccer tonight. The Lady Knights handed Santa Ynez their only defeat in league earlier in January. Unfortunately, tonight they lost 0-1 to the Pirates. Alyssa didn't play tonight. They have one more league game on Thursday. The game between Lompc and Cabrillo tonight will determine St. Joe's placing in league. If they place third or fourth then they are a wild card in the playoffs and will have to play an extra game to get into the CIF playoffs. However, if Lompoc and Cabrillo tie tonight then they remain in second place. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday! Get to Mass and get those ashes, and remember to fast and abstain from meat! Lent begins and we are called to fast, do penance, and give alms, and perfect our virtue. Forty days to do such is not too much to do for He Who has given us much, much more.

Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

Templeton Tempered

This afternoon, Alyssa's team had a game against Templeton High School in Templeton. I had carpool duties for this one. So James came home early from work, around 12:30 p.m. and I headed off to the school to load the burb up with players. We got into Templeton around 2:30 p.m. Kickoff was at 3:30. I left the girls there to warm up and went to get gas and of all things - coffee?

I am not much of a coffee drinker. In fact, I think it has been a couple years since I even had a cup, and a few years even before that. But I did want something warm. So I went into Starbucks and got a Cinnamon Dolce Latte. All I can say is - YUM! Normally, any lattes I ever tasted were icky sweet. But this was not so much so and I did enjoy the cinnamony taste. Anyway, I headed back to the field to watch the game with late in hand.

St. Joe's won definitively 6-0. After the game, we all met at Woodstock's Pizza in San Luis Obispo to have pizza. Tomorrow night, they play Santa Ynez High at home in what should be a fierce match. The only loss Santa Ynez had this year was to St. Joe's Alyssa started in that game but I don't know if she will play in this one. They will need to win this game in order to place second in league. It will also be Senior Night as well. It was suppose to be the last home game the seniors on the team would play in. But Senior Night got switched to this game because it is a night game. They have one more home game against Santa Maria on Thursday. Then they take a week off before playing for the CIF title. Go Lady Knights!

In Other News . . .

A gentle reminder to all my Catholic family and friends, Ash Wednesday is February 6th and Lent begins! Christians everywhere will "give up" something. Ultimately, we are called to work on tempering our weaknesses in an effort to perfect our virtues. Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. But understand that many parishes will not dispense ashes unless you attend that Mass. Parishes usually hold extra Masses on Ash Wednesday. So there really is no excuse to not being able to get to one and receive this sacramental. Let us wear this outward sign of our faith with confidence and pride.

Remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and abstinance from meat. Fasting means atking in one full meal or food throughout the day that does not excede one full meal. Abstainance means taking in no meat, including broths and stocks but not eggs, dairy products, or condiments made from animal fat (although you may want to avoid the later for health reasons). This law of abstainance pertains to Ash Wednesdays, Good Fridays, and all Fridays of Lent. Before Vatican II, all Fridays of the year were considered meatless. Whereas year-round abstinance is not the case these days, very few know that we are called to make some sort of sacrifice on Fridays in lieu of the old requirements.


I thawed out a frozen dinner I had made at Dream Dinners a month or so ago, and cooked some rice pilaf for dinner so James did not have to worry about it. Amanda had a dentist appointment right after school and Justina had basketball practice. I also managed to get the sheets washed today. Tomorrow is Towel Tuesday which is a heck of a lot more exciting to me than the so-called Super Tuesday Primary Election tomorrow. As important as I believe voting is, I am seriously tempted to not go to the polls at all. I don't like a single candidate. I don't know, perhaps I'll write in Steven Cobare.

Well, I got the dishes washed, the kitchen cleaned, the family room vacuumed, and the trash emptied. It is time for me to climb into my bed with the clean high thread-count sheets. (I love these sheets, and even more so after they've been washed.) Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

Blase of Super Bowl Glory

Today is February 3rd and in the Catholic Church, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Blase here in the United States at least by having our throats blessed. So Justina and I had ours blessed after 6:00 p.m. Mass.

Saint Blase was martyred in 316 in Armenia. Blase was a bishop who fled persecution and lived as a hermit. He was captured by hunters, taken to the emperor, and was tortured for refusing to worship pagan gods. He was beaten, raked by iron combs, and eventually beheaded.

It has been said that a mother once brought her son to the bishop. The child had a fishbone caught in his throat and Blase had cured him. For this reason, he has been known as the patron saint of throat ailments. Here in the United States, there is a long standing custom of having our throats blessed on his feast day. The priest holds two candles crossed in front of a person's throat and recites a prayer:

Through the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr,
may God deliver you from ailments of the

throat and from every other evil.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

In addition, the iron combs were similar to the wool combs that English wool combers used. So for this reason they had adopted him as a patron as well. There are other customs throughout the world. And in many Eastern Rite Churches, his feast day is a Holy Day of Obligation.

I had managed to watch a good portion of the Super Bowl, right up to the end of the halftime show with Tom Petty. I really enjoyed the show and found it to be refreshing. I was also quite relieved to see that the batallion of cheesy dancers was absent this year. I was cringing at the thought of seeing a marriage of Tom Petty with cheesy dancers. I was also pretty shocked at the score of 7-3 going coming out of the first half. I really expected it to be higher. But I had to go before the second half began.

Since mass attendance was so low, it was over in 45 minutes, including the throat blessing at the end. When I returned, there was a minute left. What I did see of the game, I would have to say that this was one of the better Super Bowls in a long time. And that is not because I was rooting for the Giants to spite our busybody next door neighbors who are huge Patriots fans. Now could someone please send Bill Bellichek to the time-out chair in the corner until he decides to put on his big boy panties and be gracious. Sheesh!

In Other News . . .

James had Guard Duty again today, but he came home early because of the big game. And Alyssa had her friend Alisha over to work on a biology project. Colin also came over to watch a movie and then the Super Bowl. I baked some pizzas, made a salad, and put out some cheese and crackers.

Abby has been taking off her diaper in the crib at nights. Once again, everything had to be evacuated from her crib and washed. Oh well, luckily the washer was free today, in part to my ability to keep up with Mount Washmore through my laundry routine.

That is all for now and the hour is pretty late. Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)

I Confess

Today, Justina made her first confession! As I was fixing my hair this morning she kept reading her Examination of Conscience to me and practicing her Act of Contrition. We got to the church early at 9:15 a.m. The paraliturgy was to start at 9:30 a.m. Justina, her teacher, and I went into the confessional and tested the headphone and microphone out. It worked just fine.

The paraliturgy was nice. We started with some prayers and blessing of incense. Then Justina's teacher read Ezekial 34:11-15. "The Lord says this: 'I, the Lord God, will look for my people and take care of them myself. As a shepherd looks for sheep that have wandered away, I will search for my scattered people.' " One of the CCD teachers read the Responsorial Psalm: "Shout praises to the Lord, everyone on this earth. Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the Lord.". Next, we all stood and listened to the parish pastor read the Gospel, Luke 15:1-7: "Jesus said, 'In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to.' "

We then sat down and listened to a homily. The priest assured the children that what they said was between them and God, and that they as priests could not divulge what they said to their parents or anyone else. He then used an analogy that even I, as an adult, found helpful. The analogy was that of us looking into a mirror to see what we need to fix about ourselves, be it washing our face, combing our messy hair, brushing our teeth, and so forth. To paraphrase, the confessional is the mirror in which we see our souls and what needs to be cleaned and fixed up. After the homily, we all stood and prayed the Our Father. Then the priests went to their confessionals.

Now I am personally more comfortable with private confession. And Justina really did not want to go face-to-face. But her teacher and I were thinking that face-to-face might be better for her first time. Ultimately, we left the decision up to her. Her teacher had talked to the priest beforehand and was planning to go in let him know when Justina would be next. But she never got the chance. Justina got up and was first in line. She went right into the face-to-face side. She came out and knelt down to say her penance.

After the children made their confessions, the adults and other family members were invited to make theirs. I went in a different line that was shorter than the others. I had brought along an Examination of Conscience for adults by Father Robert Altier at Catholic Parents OnLine. This is a pretty thorough list! There were things on there that I had never heard of, let alone thought were sinful. They also have a very good Examination of Conscience for children. Another very helpful Examination of Conscience is an episode of the Rosary Army Podcast episode 49 - What's in Your Conscience? This would be a good one to listen to when examining your conscience at nighttime.

In Other News . . .

Last night, Alyssa's soccer team played Lompoc and tied 1-1 in overtime. It was a very cold night. Alyssa did not play in this game. They will have a game against Templeton in Templeton and then another one on Tuesday.

Amanda hung out at Stephanie's house most of the day. James had Guard Duty this weekend and couldn't make it to Justina's First Confession. But we went out to dinner to celebrate as a family this evening.

That's about it for now. Until the next time, take care and God bless. :)