I Won!

I went on a retreat this weekend - it was a great experience for me. But that's not what I want to write about right now. On our way home, David told me a box of pots and pans had come for me while I was gone. Pots and pans? I did not order any, nor was I expecting them from someone else. Where could they have come from?

As soon as I got home I examined the contents of the big box and my suspicions were confirmed: I had won a sweepstakes I had entered online almost daily in December in January! The Fall Cooking Sweepstakes, which I had seen advertised on a page in a coupon circular in a Sunday newspaper, ran through 1/31/11 and was open to daily entries. I saved the url in my bookmarks and visited whenever I remembered to do so - I used the form auto-fill feature in my web browser so all it took was 20 seconds with a few clicks and keystrokes. I'm not big on gambling, but these were free chances at a decent prize!

What prize? Well, the full list of prizes is here, ranging from a "10 Piece Authentic Cookware Set, 5 Knorr® Sides™, plus a $350.00 American Express gift card" Grand Prize down to a "Sauté Pan Combo (8”/10”) plus 2 Knorr® Sides™" Fifth Prize. When I was entering the contest, I thought:

1) We don't eat Knorr Sides any more, due to their high content of "bad stuff" like MSG. But, if I win them, I can donate them to the food bank.

2) I don't like using nonstick pans any more, since the coating leeches chemicals into foods. We only have a few left, mostly because David still prefers them. But if I win them, I can donate them to the Catholic Social Services Refugee Resettlement Program. They set refugee families up in apartments and can use that kind of thing.

3) It sure would be nice to win a gift card!

Amazingly, I won the First Prize: WearEver Cookware Specialty Line – 10” Round Griddle, 11” Square Griddle, 12” Open Wok, 12” Covered Everyday Pan, 5 Knorr® Sides™, plus a $250.00 American Express gift card. Approximate Retail Value: $352.21.

I still plan on donating the food and cookware. But the $250 cash card is such a blessing! Deo gratias! David and I will discuss how best to use it.

I'm lobbying for a rain barrel for our garden. :D

More little boy clothes

Look what Grandma sent:


Yippee! Okay, so now I can clothe THREE baby boys until 6 months of age... I'm sure I'll do some weeding once we see what we actually use. It's such a blessing to receive so much generosity!

And, as David affirmed when he saw this on our bed, my grandma is one gifted (or should I say determined?) yard sale shopper. :)

Pictureless

I would like to post some updates but I am somewhat stymied by the loss of our camera. It wandered off somewhere between Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia (where we camped with family two weekends ago) and our home in Charlotte. Is it in the woods? In the little country church where we stopped for Sunday Mass before we returned to North Carolina? In the Subway where we grabbed a quick lunch? Or here in our house, packed away with camping gear?

We just don't know, and I am very sad. All those nice pictures from the camping adventure, and now all these recent photo opportunities missed. We have not yet decided how to proceed (search again? buy a nice new camera (dipping into savings)? buy the cheapest camera that will do the job?).

An unexpected Facebook friend

This morning I had an email informing me that someone had requested me as a friend on Facebook. Someone with the same last name as the Filipino boy I sponsor through CFCA . . . someone who looks a lot like Manuelito, too. Could it be? A message from the person confirmed it: my dear sponsee found me on Facebook. How's that for modern technology?

I shouldn't be too surprised, since Manuelito indicated in a recent letter that he's interested in studying computer technology at college (go him!). Apparently he goes by a different first name on Facebook - I sent him a message to get to the bottom of that. I can't understand most of what he and his friends have written to one another via Facebook since it's in Tagalog. But it's so good to see his pictures and know that he is mastering the tools available to him so that he can get a good job, be a blessing to his parents and younger siblings, and - hopefully - prepare to support a family of his own.

This unexpected event reminds me that my Facebook profile/presence should always be a witness of Christian virtue...I must be mindful of everything I share and what impression it might make on my friends (near and FAR) who see it.

What's in a (street) name?

Negotiations continue on our first choice house...we may have to walk away on this one. I am incredibly grateful I can trust God and my husband on this!

One interesting thing about this house is the name of the street it is on: Killingdeer. I Googled it to see if it is a reference to something else, but the only hits were related to that specific street. It is a unique name...with a somewhat negative connotation (although the hunters in my family probably find it amusing). I did discover that killdeer is the name of a bird, but the street is not Killdeer - it's definitely Killingdeer.

Which leaves me thinking: who comes up with street names? I've seen nice developments that go on themes; Camelot, for example, might have a King Arthur Rd., a Guinevere Ct., a Round Table Cir., and an Excalibur Ln. But when houses in an area are built at different times by different builders, who decides?

And here's another question: what would you like to name a street, or a set of streets in a development, if you could?

PS On our honeymoon in the North Carolina mountains, we drove by several dirt roads labeled Hicks. No kidding!

Photo Credit: kittyz202

Surprising, awesome video

This message is set to air during American Idol's season finale, according to a post I read at Faith and Family Live. I'm not going to give it away...just watch and tell me if it doesn't make you think, "Wow!"

Mastering the art of one-handed typing

Okay, so I'm not so good at it yet. But I'm going to have lots of practice, I think. :)

25 Things about Frances

Writing 25 random factoids about oneself is all the rage on Facebook right now. I posted my own list there yesterday and thought I'd share it here as well...

1. I like grammar. I edit everything I read and love finding typos. I even edit others’ speech when they are talking . . . but I usually keep corrections to myself (unless it’s my husband – I edited his speech during our very first phone conversation).

2. For my high school career project I gave a speech about being a book editor.Ten years later I became a book editor (technically, an Associate Editor for a Catholic book publishing company). It was pretty cool.

3. For my high school's senior superlatives, I was voted “Most Likely to be Found in the Library” (tells you what my peers thought of me: ultimate nerd). Funny how I worked in my college library for two years (as a writing tutor in the Writers’ Workshop) and in a public library for another two (as an Administrative Support Coordinator).

4. I will always try to respond honestly to any question I’m asked, although I do believe withholding information is sometimes appropriate.

5. On the flip side of the same coin, I am extremely gullible – I usually believe people are telling the truth and find it difficult to discern when someone is being sarcastic.

6. I am (overly) analytical. If you propose something to me, I will consider every reason NOT to do it (or why it won’t work) before I agree/approve. Just ask my husband.

7. I believe that “reduce, reuse, and recycle” and striving to live in a way that has the least negative impact on the environment are all part of good stewardship of the resources God gives us. I recycle everything I can, I love to acquire needed items secondhand, and I try to get by with less.

8. I use handkerchiefs all year long, clean with washcloths and rags, and plan to cloth diaper our children as much as possible.

9. I’m allergic to fresh pineapple. If I eat it or anything it touches my mouth tingles and my tongue swells up. But I can eat most canned pineapple – something about the canning process must neutralize whatever triggers my reaction.

10. I still sleep with a stuffed raccoon puppet named Ginger. My excuse for keeping her with me in the bed is that she holds useful things inside: handkerchief, eye mask, earplugs, etc.

11. I have lived in 7 states and England. I like North Carolina the best of them all and am very grateful that God led David and me to Charlotte (half way between where we were living when we met online: me in NJ and him in FL).

12. Soft, fuzzy things make me happy, so I’m having a heyday with these baby blankets and toys.

13. I discerned my vocation to marriage and motherhood at a young age (late teens). I had to wait a long time to find my husband, but God’s timing is perfect and I am now eagerly anticipating being a mom to Teresa and any more children God blesses us with.

14. I really like my curly hair. When I’ve straightened it in the past I didn’t feel like myself.

15. Singing is one of my favorite ways to pray.

16. My favorite chore is putting away clean dishes.

17. I really enjoy word games like Boggle and Balderdash. I am not very good at Scrabble, though.

18. I use a Palm Pilot to keep track of my calendar, contacts, and lists.

19. When I lived in a Benedictine monastery for 7 months, I loved the daily flow of prayer and work. I wonder if my life as a stay-at-home mom will be anything like that.

20. I love to lector at Mass. There’s nothing better than asking the Holy Spirit to come and help you proclaim God’s love letter to His children.

21. My husband had “Peace be with you” inscribed in my wedding band. Sometimes just remembering that helps me calm down.

22. I like chocolate, and I think it tastes good with most anything. Chocolate, caramel, and nuts (turtles). Mint chocolate brownies. Chocolate liqueur. Chocolate chip pancakes. Mmmm.

23. I bribe and reward myself with food – at school, at work, at home . . . “you can have a cupcake after you wash all the dishes” etc.

24. I can sing “Head, shoulders, knees, and toes” in 3 languages (English, French, and Japanese).

25. I can make the dimple on my chin go in and out by flaring my nostrils. My other weird human trick is tucking and releasing my lips in a wave – you have to see it to know what I mean. :)

PS Sorry the picture is a little fuzzy - I scanned it from my high school yearbook. Now it occurs to me that "I went by Frankie for 11 years (ages 13 to 24)" would have been a good item to include on the list for anyone who came into my life after that time.

Oops!

Note to self: after enjoying the deliciously vanilla-scented candle your sister made for you, do not blow it out quite so vigorously...


Now I am well-practiced in the art of ironing up wax spills through paper - the residue wouldn't come off of our textured countertop otherwise.

Credit card humor

First, the background:

We have three primary credit cards we use for almost all chargeable expenses (and pay off in full each month). I'm big on responsible credit card use because they help build credit history, are incomparably convenient, and offer some great rewards programs. I used to charge everything I could to the Discover because it had the most robust rewards program, but I've been disappointed by their Cash Back Bonus reward offerings lately. It turns out my Mastercard's rewards program has improved considerably. So I determine which cards we should use for which purchases each quarter in order to maximize our rewards and write it out on post-it notes for our wallets.

Here's what they look like:



Now, the story:

This past Saturday David and I stopped in Office Depot to pick up a new battery for his old coaching stopwatch - he wants to use it to time my contractions. As he read his post-it to determine which credit card to offer the cashier, he said, "for everything else, use Mastercard."

The cashier burst out laughing.

David started to explain why he had to deliberate over the cards and the cashier stopped him to let him know that he'd almost quoted the Mastercard slogan: "For everything else, there's Mastercard." The fact that we watch next to no television and are pleasantly unaware of current commercials added to our own amusement at this coincidence. As we put the Mastercard into action the cashier assured David that he'd provided her amusement for the day.

We aim to please, right? :)

A Positive Life Message for Inauguration Day

The beautiful theme for Mr. Obama's Presidential Inauguration, "A New Birth of Freedom," is taken from Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had some very compelling things to say about freedom:

"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

He also said: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

The freedom to live is the most fundamental freedom, without which we could have no other freedoms. And thus a new birth of freedom in our country needs to be broad enough to include and protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us; most notably the disabled, the elderly, and the unborn.

Please join us in celebrating this year's beautiful inaugural theme in this more complete way. On Inauguration Day, January 20th, please use these images to encourage others to remember the important connections between life and freedom. Images can be used to replace profile pictures (on Facebook, etc.) or to highlight the theme on your blog via post, sidebar picture, or background image. Please pass it along by linking back to this page.

"Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them." - Susan B. Anthony

Read more and pick up images here.

Deja Vu Baby

My sister Beth had her baby on Wednesday morning, December 10th (the day after her 2nd wedding anniversary). Arianna Marie (7 lb 10 oz, 19") came into the world by emergency c-section and is now doing as well as can be hoped for a 4-week premature infant. By the grace of God, my mom was able to fly from one side of the country to the other (WA to VA) soon after she learned that Beth was admitted to the hospital and she arrived 5 or so hours after the birth. She has been a great help to Beth, whose husband is deployed with the Navy.

When I got my first peek at little Ari via a cell phone picture, I marveled at how much she looks like Beth did as a baby (not that I remember back to that time, but I've seen pictures). Mom said she's experiencing deja vu - "I've held this baby before, haven't I?" :)

I wish I had more pictures of Beth as a sweet little blond cherub here with me to really make the comparison, but I was able to find one old picture for your viewing pleasure.

Here's Beth with Ari:

Here's me (and my brother) with Beth:

And here they are side by side:

The Miracle Maker on Hulu

Have you seen The Miracle Maker? The movie interweaves the story of Jesus with that of Jairus' daughter (whom Jesus raises from the dead). It's mostly done in claymation (think Wallace and Gromit) with a bit of cartoon animation thrown in. I saw it years ago and had been hoping to watch it again since.

I recently discovered that anyone can watch the whole movie for free, anytime, on Hulu! Hulu offers both clips and full cuts from lots of movies and TV shows - in recent months David and I have perused its offerings and found some light entertainment for quiet evenings. Although much (if not most) of what Hulu offers is not recommendable to a discerning consumer of media, there are some diamonds in the rough. Like The Miracle Maker! Safe and inspirational for the whole family (well, except for littles who might be scared by the cartoon demons that haunt Mary Magdalene and Judas at two points in the story). The only thing I wish the writers hadn't included is an eye roll by Jesus when one of the Jewish officials asks him an antagonistic question. (The Bible says Jesus called some Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, and a brood of vipers, but it does not say He rolled his eyes at them.)

Here's a clip to whet your appetite:


If you choose to watch the whole movie, enjoy! If you've seen it already, let me know how you think it compares to other Jesus movies.

Feel like giving up?

Is life getting you down? Share in the hope of this special man:



You can read more about Nick Vujicic and his ministry at Life Without Limbs.

Thanks for passing this along, Maureen.

Cooking for my pregnant wife

The times Frances and I eat dinner and other meals can vary from day to day. I like to cook and I've gotten to do it more since we've been blessed with the pregnancy. Frances' eating habits have varied even more since then. Back in the first trimester, we never knew when Frances was going to be hungry, so we had to capitalize on every opportunity. Bearing that in mind, read the following exchange:

"Can you make me something?" Frances asked.
"What would you like, dear?"
"I don't know. But when you make it, I'll know."

Wordle

Here's a neat display of words used recently on our blog. Click on the image to see it larger.



You can create one for any website at Wordle.

Hat tip to Devin.

Approaching anonymous fame

This morning I checked on some of Saint Benedict Press's products on Amazon (where we've had issues with inaccurate or missing information) and was pleasantly surprised to see that one of our new books' page has been updated with a description I wrote. If you check out Abandonment to Divine Providence, you'll read my words under "Product Description." They left out a dash after "happening" (probably a text conversion error), but it is otherwise the same as what we printed on the back cover. Way cool!

Now, if only Amazon would get our new Dark Night of the Soul up and running - it's my favorite of our three newest books.

You know...

You know you're Catholic when you watch segments of an online video of Solemn High Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) during breaks from studying for a nursing exam. (David)

You know you're pregnant when you sing to yourself in the shower and the line "If you're happy and you know it, do your Kegels!" pops into your head. (Frances)

My plant babies

I like my houseplants. Because we don't have pets and David is fairly self-sufficient ;) they were the closest things I had to children before God sent us baby. My plants require minimal care, but they do depend on my watering for survival. I like that. And I'm proud of them when they do well (I add a few drops of Miracle Gro to the water almost every time - seems to work!). One vine plant in particular has grown almost 8 feet since I clipped a few leaves off of a friend's plant in 2004.

Sadly, our apartment only has three small windows, one in each bedroom and one in the main living space. The sunlight doesn't often reach the other side of the apartment, so I have trouble keeping plants alive unless they are by the window. When there is no danger of frost, I keep half of the plants out on our balcony, where they can get more sun. But during the winter they keep cramped quarters around the living room window.

With baby on the way, I'm concerned about the plants. Before the little one is mobile, I know they will be good to have in our home, cleansing the air. But when crawling begins, what will I do? I've heard some houseplants are actually toxic if ingested.


I'd appreciate anyone's advice/tips for keeping a safe space for children and houseplants. Thanks!

For the love of Timmy

A few weeks ago David came across a video for "Shaun the Sheep," a claymation cartoon about some cute and clever farm animals. Created by the minds behind Wallace & Grommit, Shaun has been airing on TV in the UK for a few years and is now played by the Disney channel here in the US. Several episodes are available on DVD - for those in the UK. DVDs playable in the US are expected in November.

Why am I telling you all this? Because Shaun the Sheep and one of its characters in particular have become something of an obsession to David and I in the past week. We are head-over-hooves in love with little Timmy, the pacifier-sucking, teddy-toting baby of the flock. This particular video clip tugs at David's heartstrings just as much as it does mine:


In addition to watching this clip at least once a day, David and I have enjoyed doing impressions for one another. Yesterday he even distracted me with those big eyes and a plaintive bleat while I was having my blood drawn at the OB clinic. Awww!

How do people come up with this kind of stuff? Do they try several different versions of characters and mannerisms and submit them to a group for feedback? A panel of cute-ologists? If so, count me in!