Texians - What I learned from Texas History

(We went on a History field trip to San Antonio last week.  Here's what we learned.)

Once upon a time in Texas (which is how all good stories should begin) a group of Texians (I don't know when we ditched the "i" but we are the better for it) at the beginning of the Texas Revolution faced a difficult decision, return their cannon to the Mexican government or fight to the death to keep it.

Our boy, Stephen F. Austin (Hurrah!), took a vote among the settlers. (Love that he did this.  "Y'all willin' to die? Yup?  Alright then.) They said, "We're not giving the cannon back.  They'll have to come and get it." Just to prove that they were serious, they made this flag

No one wrote down what the Mexican commander Ugartechea (how would you like to be a kid trying to spell that name?) said, but I'll bet it sounded something like "$%^&*$#@%^$$%" but with a Mexican accent.

It wasn't much of a battle, the Texians won.  The Mexicans eventually got the cannon back at The Alamo (We think.  No one knows for certain.) 

That's not really the point anyway. I just keep wondering about what kind of men decide "By golly, they're not taking this from us," and are willing to back it up with their lives.  (The Mexican Army didn't take prisoners, y'all.  There were 2 choices, win or die.)

They were the same kind of men who looked out of the mission at Goliad and saw the approaching Mexican Army, did a quick head count and knew they were toast.  100+ settlers against over 1000 seasoned soldiers? You would think they'd have slipped out in the night.  They didn't.  They grabbed hold of some red paint and made this little beauty:

The message was clear.  Those boys'd rather cut off their own right arms than live under tyranny.  The Mexicans took them up on that and killed all but a handful in a dreadful massacre.

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

There's something odd in going to the memorials of famous (or not so famous in the cases of Gonzales and Goliad) battlegrounds. They are quite simply old buildings and grass.  If not for the signs and displays, there would be no way of knowing what was done on those spots.  There would be no record of the incredible bravery of those men.

And, by gum, they were men. (None of this crazy metro-sexual stuff going on at The Alamo, I can promise you that!)

I'd like to think that this kind of man still exists today.  I hope even more that my boys are that kind.  I hope for my sons to be men of conviction, to stand up for freedom and right. I want them to be willing to call evil by its name and not be ashamed of the consequences that come from it.  I want them to be willing to die for what they know to be true.  I want them to be prepared for martyrdom even as I pray they never are asked to pay that price. 

I want them to be strong, proud, and a little bit salty.  I want my sons to be men like Davy Crockett who told his detractors "You may all go to Hell. I'm going to Texas."  How do I raise boys like that?

How do we go about teaching our boys that sometimes you have to charge Hell with a bucket of water and the Devil take the consequences? 

How do we make them fearless in a world of over-protection?

I suppose it begins with them on their knees.  They'll have to start out there or they'll never have the strength to stand.

Yet Another Giveaway!! Of Sorts...

(Surprise!  This is LarryD,  filling in for Rebecca while she's on a short vacation. She thinks of me as the obnoxious older brother she unfortunately never had, while she's the annoying younger sister I never had to endure.  Which begs the obvious question:  What was she thinking, accepting my offer to post?   Oh well - live and learn.  If you want to read really good stuff, head over to my regular blog, Acts of the Apostasy.  What do you mean, you're not a regular reader??)

I've noticed that Rebecca loves to give stuff away.  She's very generous with other people's things, isn't she?  Seriously, though - running give-aways makes her happy, and the products she offers are really nice, and they're from good companies and for good causes.

So I thought, heck, why not jump in on that action too?  I like giving stuff away - and I like supporting honorable causes.

There's a local place real close to where I live, called LarryD's Lounge of Lousy Litter and Left-overs - in fact, it's so close, it's actually in my basement.  Right now, I'm clearing out select items, and through an exclusive arrangement with Shoved to Them (see italicized paragraph above), these items are being made available to all you loyal readers! 

But here's the best part - they're up for auction!  I kid you not!  This is so much better than a give-away, because you can help out a dad who's surrounded by useless junk cool stuff, by bidding on unwanted clutter rare and unique items.  And the second best part is that all proceeds will go to a worthwhile charity.  I don't have one selected as of yet, so you will just have to trust me, okay?

Let's get started!

Item #1 - a whiffle ball.  Very practical, because if properly aimed and thrown at the optimum velocity, it will immediately jolt that non-responsive television viewer/video-game player/computer zombie into action, without leaving any visible signs of injury!  And you can play baseball with it too!  Very versatile.

Item #2 - a plastic tiki ice bucket (with tongs)  This attractive item is perfect to scare the bejeezus out of any infant or toddler.  It can also be used as a tobacco spittoon, in which case you would never want to ever use it as an ice bucket again.

Item #3 - an electronic toucan.  This clever little toucan has an identity problem, because it repeats everything you say, which makes it more like a parrot.  Poor thing!  At least, it would repeat everything you say if it wasn't broken.  But it does flap its wings a bit.  Sort of.

Item #4 - a Bop-It.  Quite possibly the world's most annoying toy, after anything that involves Barney the Dinosaur.  Guaranteed to give you a head-ache long before your child loses interest!  Bop it!  Twist it!  Pull it!  Buy it!  Please!

Item #5 - a glass head.  Very popular with bachelors back in the 90's, for some reason.  It's the perfect representation of a Wall Street Occupier - completely empty-headed!  Convenient if you have a wig, or if your husband or dad wears a fedora.  A practical Christmas accessory, too, as it can sport a Santa hat!

Item #6 - a collection of BeyBlades, with BeyBlade Action Arena, and about 20 ripcords yet only 6 BeyBlade spinner thingys!  Provides your children with 7.3 minutes of super-charged fun, yet hours of bickering over who gets to use the "cool looking" BeyBlade!  These rarely used more than once toys could be a collector's item someday.  No, really!

This is just a picture of our cat, Missy.  She doesn't do tricks or anything, and isn't included with the auction, but isn't she cute?

There you have it, readers - the LarryD's Lounge of Lousy Litter and Left-overs Auction Extravaganza.  These items represent only a small portion of what's available - if this auction is successful, you can expect to see future ones posted here.  Bids start at any level - the higher the better.  Winners will be notified on Sunday April 29th.  Shipping and handling not included.

Commence bidding!

3 1/2 Time Outs Tuesday #12 - The Texas Edition

Doing my best to help LarryD take over the internet one meme at a time.

It's been almost a year since we returned to my beloved Texas. There really is no place on Earth which sits so softly on the heart.  Oh, Texas, how I love thee.  Let me begin to count the ways:

1. 

March burst into color this year and my heart filled with joy.  It was time for bluebonnets. I can't tell you how much I love these flowers or how the tiny hats lined up on each stem can make me smile.

For a few weeks ever spring, they burst into bloom and whole fields are buried under a beauteous blanket of blue.

Bluebonnets and their cheerful friend Indian Paintbrush will always be Springtime to me.

They line the highways and quiet roads and greet us wherever we go.

And they bring on the annual pilgrimage of parents to the sides of roads all over the state, where they plunk their babies down amidst the flowers and the road noise to take the traditional pictures which cover every grandmother's fridge.

I guarantee you that this baby's hair is being blown around by a passing 18-wheeler.

2.

Thank goodness for the tortilla lady in the grocery store.  I almost clicked my heels with glee the day I walked in to buy a gallon of milk and found the tortilla lady making them by hand. 

Warm, light, and flaky, there is no way to describe the alleluia moment of a fresh hand made tortilla.  The fact that I can buy them any time I want and they're still warm when I get them home?   As close to a religious experience as I can have outside of church.

Just wondering, is it wrong to kiss the tortilla lady?  She's all kinds of awesome to me.

3.

Horny toads!

I love these guys!  My older brother and I used to catch them at my grandparents' farm.  We quickly learned their defense mechanism of spitting blood from their eyes. It wasn't much after that when we learned that if you rub their heads in the right places you can make them spit blood from their eyes.  Wanna hear your brother squeal like a girl? Have a lizard spit eye blood at him.  (It shoots out crazy far.  We're probably the reason these fellas are nearly on the endangered list.)

You'd better watch it or I'll shoot eye blood on you!

Isn't he cute?  I'd sure love to find one and bring him home with me.  I'm pretty sure I could make my own kids squeal, too.

3 1/2.

Cowboys.

 Because every now and again you're lucky enough to get to mosey along behind them.....

Help

Earlier today I thought out loud in writing.  On Facebook I wrote

 "Just found out that there's a therapeutic horseback riding place in Wylie with special saddles for JRA patients. Now to figure out how to pay for it.............."

and an amazing thing happened.  People offered to help foot the bill.  It wasn't why I wrote it, to ask for money.  With a little sacrifice and juggling around, we could cover it.  Not easily, but we could.

I was overcome by the outpouring of generosity and knew immediately what it was.  It was a sigh of relief.  For the last few months,  readers, family, and friends have watched our unfolding drama and wanted only to help.  They waited anxiously for me to simply ask so that they could happily ease our burdens.  I haven't asked.

I wonder now if that has been unfair to those around us. Am I taking something away from them by not allowing them to step in? I have watched the private tragedies of others and wished only to step in.  In some way, contributing to their efforts would ease my own worry.  Is it selfish of me not to ask?

I don't know.  I'm beginning to think it might be.

Several friends suggested I add a paypal link and fund raise on my blog.  They bet it would take only a single day.  A few even made public pledges. 

I cried.

I have no words which can adequately express the love and gratitude I have for all those who were immediately willing and ready to help us and our girl.  We don't need it today.  We've got this one.  By cutting back a bit and giving up a little, we can cover this one.

The reality is that JRA is a lifelong disease and we are 4 months into the battle.  The day may come when we need help, and now I know that all I have to do is ask.  I can't tell you the comfort and peace that brings me.  But not today.  I would be foolish to exhaust my help on a hill this small when there may be mountains up ahead.

So, my much loved ones, thank you for your offers.  You have shown me that I need to ask more often.  I need to learn to lean on those around me, because they want so desperately to help.  You've helped me to see that it is only pride which stops me silent when there are so many willing hands to share this load.

I promise I will ask.  The day will come when I need you, and I love knowing that you are here.  That day is not today.

Thank you.

What I Did Today

I finally figured out what to hang on the dining room wall.

Go ahead and Pin it....you know you want to!

Lauren!

Congratulations to Lauren from Magnify the Lord.  You win the $25 credit to This Cloth House!!!!!  

For everyone else, I hope you will patronize this Etsy shop.  She has great stuff and has been a delight to work with!

Remembering

As you go about your day today, please find a moment to say a prayer for those lost and the loved ones they left behind.  17 years may seem like an awfully long time to the rest of the country, but for those of us who were in Oklahoma City that morning, the memory is still painful and still fresh.

Also, please remember in Thanksgiving all of those who survived, including my beloved Computer Guy.  I will be forever grateful that he lived and I was blessed to become his wife.

I Would Never Marry This Crazy Chick

Have you seen this story?  The one about the crazy thing women are doing to lose weight for their weddings?  You haven't?  Here, read this....I'll wait.

Brides-to-be looking to shed that final 10, 15 or 20 pounds in order to fit into their dream wedding gown have taken a controversial approach to crash dieting that involves inserting a feeding tube into their noses for up to 10 days for a quick fix to rapid weight loss.

The K-E diet, which boasts promises of shedding 20 pounds in 10 days, is an increasingly popular alternative to ordinary calorie-counting programs. The program has dieters inserting a feeding tube into their nose that runs to the stomach. They're fed a constant slow drip of protein and fat, mixed with water, which contains zero carbohydrates and totals 800 calories a day. Body fat is burned off through a process called ketosis, which leaves muscle intact, Dr. Oliver Di Pietro of Bay Harbor Islands, Fla., said.

"It is a hunger-free, effective way of dieting," Di Pietro said. "Within a few hours and your hunger and appetite go away completely, so patients are actually not hungry at all for the whole 10 days. That's what is so amazing about this diet."

Di Pietro says patients are under a doctor's supervision, although they're not hospitalized during the dieting process. Instead, they carry the food solution with them, in a bag, like a purse, keeping the tube in their nose for 10 days straight. Di Pietro says there are few side effects.

"The main side effects are bad breath; there is some constipation because there is no fiber in the food," he said.

Slipping into a wedding gown for a dream wedding is a moment of truth for most brides, but as many say that there is a real fear that it will not quite fit. That's how 41-year-old Jessica Schnaider of Surfside, Fla., says she felt with a June wedding approaching and 10 pounds she says she couldn't lose. She was desperate for a quick fix.

"I don't have all of the time on the planet just to focus an hour and a half a day to exercise so I came to the doctor, I saw the diet, and I said, 'You know what? Why not? Let me try it. So I decided to go ahead and give it a shot," she said.

Schnaider said she was never hungry throughout the 10 days she was on the K-E diet, but admits that it still wasn't easy.

"It was emotionally difficult, the 10 days of not eating," Schnaider said. "And sometimes I had to give excuses to people who were asking are you sick? And I was like, 'No, I'm not sick, I'm not dying, I'm fine.'

"I was tired. I didn't feel like exercising. The doctor told me that if you can compliment with walking for a half an hour on the beach, that would be great, but I didn't feel like doing that. I'm a very energetic person, but those days I was a little tired."

Although the K-E diet is new to the United States, it has been around for years in Europe. Dr. Di Pietro charges $1,500 for the 10-day plan, and says the before-and-after pictures sell themselves.

But critics warn that losing too much weight too fast can be dangerous, and it ultimately won't last. Di Pietro warns that people with kidney issues should avoid the diet.

Many doctors also say that with so much pressure on brides to be perfect, it's easy to understand why this kind of rapid weight loss might seem appealing, but might not be healthy.

"If you lose the weight too quickly your mind is not going to be able to catch up with a newer, skinnier you," psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall of Beverly Hills, Calif. said.

Schnaider says that in her case she actually only kept her tube in for eight of the 10 days, skipping the last two because she'd already lost the 10 pounds she wanted.

She has kept it off so far, saying she is looking forward to her big day this summer.

Oh. my. goodness.  It still shocks me.  Every darn time I read it.

I could never marry this woman. For a couple reasons:
1) She's marrying someone else and has expressed no interest in me. 
2) I'm a girl and I don't think that kind of thing is legal in Texas
3) Her sticking out collar bone scares me (did you see the picture? The girl needs a cheeseburger...stat!)
4) I'm just not that into her.......


because she's CRAZY!


The only good thing about this diet, and it's the same thing I said in the 90s when women were having their jaws wired shut so that they could look hot, is that it's a big ol' red flag of crazy whipping around there. If some guy can't figure out that his girl is a loon after 10 days of a straw up her nose for no good reason, then he's welcome to the big can of crazy he's about to open up.  Because I know crazy girls, and once she's done starving herself to perfection she's going to turn her gaze away from the mirror and onto you!  And honey, good luck with that.

Mother's Day Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!

I told you that we were getting to round 2, and here it is!

When I first asked for Mother's Day give away participants, I didn't know how many takers we would have.  I was so thrilled when our next one was the first email I received.  I was even more excited when I went to her site and saw what she sells.

This Cloth House is the brain child of Rachel from Michigan.  I am in love with her custom napkins, handkerchiefs, cloth wipes, and un-paper towels. I've been trying to go a little green-er around here, and I now want everything on her site.

Things like:

Unpaper towels 

cloth baby wipes

Lunchbox napkins for the coolest kid in the lunchroom

Rachel has been generous enough to offer us a $25 credit to her Etsy store.  Head on over there and check it out!  Then come back here and tell me how you'd spend her money.  You have until  Friday morning when I'm going to pick a winner.

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!  :)

3 1/2 Time Outs Tuesday #11 The Orphan Edition

Still here helping LarryD conquer the internet meme.  Join the revolution!

1.
The jewelry fundraiser to benefit Reece's Rainbow is still going on!  It's a great deal.  You get a gorgeous Mother's Day gift and you help fund special needs adoptions, saving children from a living hell in foreign orphanages.  What's stopping you from helping out?  You know you need a gift.  You know jewelry works for almost every mom.  You know those kids need homes. Head on over here for more information.

2.
This is Susan

I'm completely head over ears in love with this little face.  If I could, I'd be on may way to pick her up today.  The Computer Guy says no.  He thinks we already have our hands full with the stuff we've got going on, and that just because I'm not her mommy doesn't mean I can't help her out.

So, see sweet Susan?  She needs a home.  She needs to be loved and adored by a mommy who will be hers forever.  Could it be you?  Could you find room in your home and your heart for this precious girl?  If not, could you find a couple dollars to help fund her adoption?  (Click on her picture for more info, but be prepared to lose your heart.  She's already got mine wrapped around those little fingers.)

3.
My daughters insisted that I show you Stella, too.

Look at those eyes! I just want to hug her.  Don't you?

3 1/2.
Maybe it's a good thing my husband says no.  I'd bring them all home with me if I could.  No child should grow up in an institution.  Won't you consider giving them a forever home?  Won't you help them out?

We Have a Winner!

stichinrose, you win the Viola Earrings from Simply You! (I have those earrings and they are gorgeous!)  Congratulations!

Email me your email address at shovedtothem at yahoo dot com.  I'll forward it on to Scottie!

Those of you who didn't win, why not go ahead and pick up those pretty pieces for yourself as part of the Reece's Rainbow benefit?  Up to 30% of the purchase price will go toward directly funding the adoptions of special needs children! 

Just make sure to enter party code 6861 at check out! 

Check back in with me tomorrow for our next give-away, and if you have a product you'd like to introduce to my readers, I'd love to hear all about it!

Bliss

 
Plump baby hands reach up and grab my face.
With squeals and croaky laughter,
she pulls me to her for a jubilant baby kiss.
Crooning love, sparkling eyes, trilling babbles
Slobber runs down my cheeks.
Joy unconfined.

What Does It Say?

What does it say about you household when your 2 year old can build a gun and a dagger out of Legos, and when he sees a picture of a ruler starts shrieking with glee "Hey, that's my sword!"

You Sue-er People Are Ruining My Life!

I'm about up to here with the sue-er people.  You know those people, right? The "I slipped on a grape and now I'm going to own all your stuff" kind of people? Those people are not my favorite.  They're responsible for taking this whole bad situation with #4 and making it about 11 times harder than it ever needed to be.  Because of them, the medical people are all afraid of being sued.

Like yesterday.  Oh my goodness.  Yesterday...........

Hang on while I back the ADD train up and get you up to speed.

#4 has JRA (for those of you who are new.   Hi, new people!).  She's 7 and has been on methotrexate (a chemotherapy drug) for a month now.  With no results.  Zip.  Nada.  Bupkiss.  In fact she's gotten worse.  (Both knees, two toes, an ankle and a foot) Monday, we made the hour long trek down to Scottish Rite hospital to meet with her rheumatologist.  (I'm going to start calling her Dr. Rheumy.)  Dr Rheumy prescribed an immuno-suppressant to add to the chemo to try and stop the destruction of her joints.  (It's a lot to take in.  Stop when you need to......ready to keep going?  Good.) The only hitch in our giddy-up was that if she happened to have Tuberculosis, it would be really ugly, so they tested her.

Have you ever had a TB test before? I hadn't.  It's a shot.  Another one.  They put the gunk under the skin on your arm and then wait 48 hours to see what it does.  If you get an injection site bruise, you're healthy.  If is gets red, swollen, and lumpy.....you need to see a doctor.  So they placed it at the hospital and said that her pediatrician could read it, or a nurse, or a PA, or just about any medical person with extra letters after their name.  They sign the paper; we fax it in; she starts the new medication.  Easy Peasy.

They lied.  Because, you see, they'd forgotten about the sue-er people.  (You knew I'd get to them eventually.)

I called our family doctor on Wed just before lunch to see if we could pop in to have him take a look and sign the paper.  (It's the one benefit of having a sick kid. The doctor becomes a friend.  He even lets me call him Travis, which is kinda weird because his name is Steve.)

"I can't," Travis said.  "The medical group that owns the office won't let me read any TB test I haven't placed.  If I could, I'd swing by your house and do it on my way home so that you don't have to drag the whole crew out with you, but they won't let me.  I'd be fired if I did."

"What?" asked the incredulous me. "Why would they fire you?"

"Because if I read it, then I'm guaranteeing that the test was done right.  If it wasn't, then you could sue."  We both know I won't, but I let it drop.  He was genuinely sorry, and I'm not going to jeopardize his family for a dumb TB test that the hospital said anyone could read.  (The truth is that the day may come when I ask him to stand on principle with us and risk his job.  I'm saving that atomic option for the big stuff.  This isn't big.  Yet.)

So I went across the street to CVS because they have a clinic.  The P.A. looked at #4's arm and confidently said, "That's a negative test result."

To which I replied, "Great.  Can you sign the paper that says that."

"Oh, no ma'am.  It's against out policy.  If I signed that you could sue me."

So I went to the ER clinic thing down the way.  "That's definitely a negative test."

"Can you sign?"

"Nuh-uh.  I'd get fired.  You could sue us."

By the time I got to the last clinic near us (yes, I realize it would have been faster to drive the hour to downtown Dallas.....I get it NOW.  Yesterday I was looking for a little easier.)  The super nice doctor looked at #4 and repeated the now familiar words.  "She doesn't have TB, but I can't sign your paper.  I'd get fired and you could sue."

My daughter looked up at me with an exasperated huff and said "Why can't anyone help us?"

"It's because we're looking for healers, my love, and they've all been replaced by bureaucrats."



So we made the hour drive for the less than 5 minute exam and then the hour drive home.  What should have taken 10 minutes at a local doctor's office had taken over 6 hours, but at least we now had the new prescription to take to the pharmacy.

When I went back to pick up her refills and the new one, the pharmacy tech said "I'm sorry Mrs Frech.  You'll have to come back."

"Is there a problem?"

"The pharmacist isn't here and she has to counsel you on the methotrexate.  It's company policy."

"She already did.  Last month.  This is a refill."

"She has to do it every time. We can't give you the medication until she checks the box that says she read the warning information to you."

"The same script as last month?  Why can't you read it?"

"I'm not a pharmacist.  I'm not qualified.  If I did it and you didn't understand what I said..."

"I could sue?"

"Yes, ma'am. You could."

Kids and Jewelry....A Reece's Rainbow Fundraiser!

Earlier today, I posted a sponsored Mother's Day give-away from my friend Scottie at Simply You jewelry.  (Have you entered yet?  You should.) She was so pleased with the response and impressed by the blogging community that she offered to do a fundraiser to benefit something near and dear to many of us.

We're holding a fundraiser for the kids at

For the next 2 weeks (ending April 26th), 20-30% (depending on the amount of sales) of all jewelry purchased with the party code

6861

will go to directly benefit the Reese's Rainbow kids.  I told you that I loved her!  Now you know why.

This Mother's Day, you can buy not just a great gift, but also know that you are helping to bring these special kids to their Forever Homes.  What could be better than that?

Once the party closes, we will be auctioning off the Hostess Gifts (which should be a lot!) to further benefit the adoption funds at Reece's Rainbow.

Don't forget the monthly specials!

Get this cool necklace for $8!!!!!!!!!!!

A thousand Thank Yous! to Scottie for helping us fund these adoptions.  Thank you to everyone who is working to support these efforts.

Hey You Guys!!!!!!!!!! (Mother's Day Jewelry Give-Away)

It's the middle of April (almost) which means it's time to forget about that dumb bunny and his eggs and start thinking of more important things.....like Mother's Day presents!

A few weeks back, I asked readers if they had anything they thought would make a great gift for the mom in your life (yours, your kids', the mom you wish was yours...) and got some great responses.  (I still have more room in the month if you have a product you'd like to share with the rest of the class.)

I'm super excited about the first one because not only do I love, love, love it...the girl selling it has been my friend since jr. high, my college roommate, and the person who held me hair when......that's a story for another day.  Today she's all grown up and the super hot mom of 4 gorgeous children (3 she gave birth to and one was a wedding gift...lucky girl!) plus she sells super cute jewelry for Simply You!

Great customer service, cute designs, stylish and affordable...I love it all.  She wants you to love it, too....which is why she's letting me give some away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (You know how much I love to give stuff away.  Favorite. Thing. Everrrrr!!!!!!)

So here's the skinny on the give away...

Go to her website and cruise around.  Come back here before midnight on Friday and let me know which pair of earrings you'd love to own (Up to $25).  On Saturday morning I'll randomly select a winner and they'll get the earrings they chose! 

Wanna sneak peek?  How 'bout these pretty things?

Cute, right?  They have tons of different styles. Plus...you should check out her other stuff.  I'm currently drooling over this necklace:

and this one:

and .....you get the idea.  The cool thing she does is maintain a list of all the stuff I like and what I've already got (which is a lot.  I admit it.) Then she'll send my husband an email reminder before my birthday, our anniversary, Mother's Day, etc. and lets him see what I like.  It's brilliant! (plus then he doesn't forget which he loves!

I love her.  I love her stuff.  You should go check her out!  Then come on back and let me know which earrings you'd like to win. (P.S. I happen to know that if they're more than $25 she'll let you pay the difference!  She's cool like that.)  (Also, if you're a guy and have no clue which earrings to pick, you can just say "I don't know" and if you win, the lady in your life can pick for herself.)


Want an extra chance to win?  "Like" her facebook page and tell me you did and you get a bonus drawing entry.   Score!


**I have not been paid or compensated in any way for this post.  Unless you count life long friendship.  I did get that.***

3 1/2 Time Outs Tuesday #10

Helping LarryD take over the Catholic blogosphere one Tuesday at a time.

I said to a friend a little bit ago that right now "I'm a little bit too busy for fun" The honest statement of that makes me both exhausted and sad.  How can a person be too busy to have fun?  How can I, with my snail slime laziness, be that busy?  There are so many things I want to do when the "someday" arrives when I have both time and money at the same moment, throw in a willing husband or a friend who's game and I promise I'll do these someday.  (Like my own mini-Bucket List)

1. 

I have not-so-secretly dreamed for my entire adulthood of going white water rafting. In my imagination, I can feel the bucking of the boat and the cold spray of the river. I can hear my own voice shrieking in mingled delight and excitement.

This has been my dream vacation for years. Constantly being pregnant or nursing have made it impossible, but someday.....I'm going!

2.

I want to dance the samba at Carnaval in Rio.

Glitz, glitter, feathers, and a danceable beat? It's so my thing.  I could even be pregnant and still do this one (I'm not at the moment.  I had to say that.  My husband was about to have a panic attack.) See?

If you've got curves, flaunt them in Rio!!!!!!!!!!

3.

I dream of spending a couple of weeks eating my way across Mexico.  (Don't talk Montezuma's Revenge to me.  This is my dream party pooper!)

We've talked about doing this for years now, but the Computer Guy doesn't get that kind of time off.  I'll just have to bide my time and maybe eat my way across San Antonio instead!

3 1/2.

I just noticed that this is all on my side of the planet.  Next week I'll tell you my plans for

The Land of Suck

"It could be worse, it could be ..(fill in the blank).." I've lost count of the number of times people have said this to us in the last few months.  They don't know what to say and are trying to look on the bright side of something awful.  They are trying to offer us a twisted kind of hope. I wish they would stop.

"At least it's not cancer." This is the most frequent one we hear.  Cancer is a kind of scary that everyone knows.  JRA is the unknown to them.  They just don't understand, and I know that if I do anything other than smile I will cry, or scream, or cry and scream.  It won't be pretty.

In my mind I know that there are a lot of "worse" scenarios.  Forgive me if I don't see them right now.  I have a different sound track in my head. The ones I hear are the "Might Have Beens" and "the Sounds of Her in Pain" and they break my heart. I have become short sighted until all I can see is the tragedy in my own household.  I don't have time to play "what if".  There is neither time nor energy to spend on imagined catastrophes.


Could this be worse? Yes. Are there a million other nightmare scenarios in which this would be the better option? I don't know, but I'm sure there are a few. Would a better person be sifting through all of it to find the silver lining? Absolutely.


I'm not that better person.


The fact remains that dead would be worse.  The rest of it is firmly in the Land of Suck. Pointing out all the other ways in which this could be bad or worse doesn't help.  It's just playing with words. That it's not the worst you can think of doesn't make it any easier.  The fact that you would say so out loud just makes you one less person we can turn to.


So what do you say?  What can you say to parents in the Land of Suck"?  You can say, "That's awful.", "How horrible.", or even "Wow.  That sucks." and I with that I will completely agree.


Better yet, you can say "I'm praying for her," and our gratitude will overflow.

Flipping

Sweet #7 has learned to flip onto her back.  The only problem with that is that she hates being on her back.  I put her down for her nap all snuggled in with her binky and her blanket and start took sneak out of the room when ......wail!!!!!!!!!! She's on her back again.

I've lost count of the number of times I've tried to discuss this with her (usually around 3 AM-ish) "Sweet girl, you hate to be on your back, so why do you keep flipping over?" She looks up at me and smiles and waits to be rescued from the hell that is her bed when she's on her back.

It makes me wonder how many times God has looked down at me, shaken his head, and said "Sweet girl, how many times are you going to do this before you realize that you hate where it gets you? Why not just stop already?" as I wait patiently for Him to bail me out of whatever bad situation is of my own creating.

I think the Chub-O-Love and I need to smarten up.  If we hate the predicaments our behavior leads us to, how 'bout we just stop doing it? It's so easy to say.......just ask the baby who just flipped over again.

Lemonade

When life hands you lemons......at least make sure your cane is cute!

In the Tumult of the Storm

The rain poured off my roof this afternoon, and the pea-sized hail clattered on our patio. The tornado sirens wailed to life, quieted down, and then howled again. My Oklahoma children came screaming down the stairs and dashing in my general direction.

“Where is the tornado?” my 10 year old asked with barely consoled terror. He knows tornadoes, they all do. A lifetime in Oklahoma has taught them that fear.
I glanced up from folding laundry to see the weather maps showing the storms to be almost an hour away from us. “Calm down,” I told them. “There is no need to panic. This is just rain and tiny hail. When it’s time to panic, I’ll tell you.”

Head on over to Creative Minority Report to read it all.

Patronage

After a lot of thought and prayer and a wee bit of research, I'm adding St Alphonsus to theside bar and asking for his prayers and patronage.  St Alphonsus became a doctor of the Church and was a prolific writer despite suffering crippling arthritis.

Glorious Saint Alphonsus, loving Father of the poor and sick, all your life you devoted yourself with a charity really heroic to lightening their spiritual and bodily miseries. Full of confidence in your tender pity for the sick, since you yourself have patiently borne the cross of this illness, I come to you for help in my present need (mention it).

Loving Father of the suffering, Saint Alphonsus, whom I invoke as the arthritis Saint, since you have suffered from this disease in your lifetime, look with compassion upon me in my suffering. Beg God to give me good health. If it is not God's will to cure me, then give me strength to bear my cross patiently and to offer my sufferings in union with my Crucified Savior and His Mother of Sorrows, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, in reparation for my sins and those of others, for the needs of this trouble world and for the souls in purgatory.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Saint Alphonsus, patron of the arthritic sick, pray for us. Amen.