Welcome to the hectic spring season!:) It's been very busy but I love it. The flowers are blooming, the weather is warmer (well, kind of). Baseball and soccer season are here, and that also means lots of hot dogs and ice cream! Life is good. We also had a development today I like to call "toothgate". Grant had a front tooth dangler for days, and it was quite traumatic. Every time he ate something it would bleed, and he went into hysterics when Jim tried to manually "assist" the tooth free. Well, today, while biting into a cookie it came out! Whew. Here is Grant with his new grin:
We are also gearing up for camping season (oh joy). Lol. Jim and the boys LOVE "roughing" it in the tent and drinking from canteens, and I love it only because I love them so much that I try to be a good sport. Ha ha. It's true though. If I had my choice, I would be in a comfy hotel with indoor plumbing but, what fun would that be? Lol. So they were thrilled to see the "REI" box when they got home from school. Hiking backpacks for all!:)
This is also the time of year I plot out our reading theme for the summer. I have some basic ideas but I think I'm trying to make it overly complicated, I haven't quite figured out how to map it out. I saw this story at Faith and Family Live today and it was a good reminder of the positive power of reading! This was our theme last year.
Off to fire up the grill and practice baseball outside with the boys. Finally time to shed the coats!
P.S. I almost forgot, have you seen this story?! If you need a little motivation to exercise and pump some iron, look no further! I guess it's hard to find an excuse after reading this super-senior's story. Love it!:)
After days of research, weeks of waiting, and several hours of hard work and hammering...our shed is almost complete!:) Thanks to my handy hubby Jim for doing such a great job. I know we could have gone the easy route and headed over to Home Depot and just picked up whatever they had, but we had something very specific in mind and it just took a while to find it. I know it looks like a play house, but it really is a full sized shed for all of Jim's manly stuff. We just have to stain it and it will be good to go!
Speaking of Jim's good job, congrats to him for receiving a special award last week at the Cathedral in Youngstown!
He was anonymously nominated, and then chosen to win for outstanding leadership in Scouting. The Bishop was supposed to personally give him the medal, but due to a death of a friend, he couldn't be there. Congrats to everyone who received the special recognition!:)
Well, it looks like it's going to be another happy, busy weekend! Between baseball, soccer and piano, it's time to do "schedule gymnastics" and somehow get everyone to the designated practices and games (sometimes at the same time)!:) Saturday I will also be speaking to the lovely ladies of Magnificat in Fremont! Faith-filled women and a big buffet, not a bad way to spend a Saturday!:) Lol
P.S. Have you seen the video for Miranda Lambert's song "The House that Built Me"? I don't mean to be on a crying kick, but oh boy, it's another tear jerker! In a good way though. Sentimental and sweet. Click here for the vid. Have a great weekend!
It's tax day, otherwise known as "Freebie Fun Day" as far as I'm concerned:) Lots of goodies that either either free, or discounted to alleviate the stress of tax day. Lol. As long as you come with a mug, Starbucks will fill you up with free coffee today! Here are some other deals for the day:
CINNABON: Get two free bite-sized cupcakes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at participating mall locations as part of "Tax Day Bites!" Flavors include Chocolate Passion, 24-Carrot Cake, Vanilla Bliss and Cinnacake Classic.
STARBUCKS: Get free brewed coffee all day Thursday if you bring your own mug, a promotion the cafe chain says is friendly to the environment as well as taxpayers.
IHOP: Expanding on the tax deduction parents get for kids, the restaurant chain is offering free dinner for one child age 12 or younger with each adult meal purchased 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. all month long.
Chick-fil-A
Visit a participating restaurant April 15 and hang onto your receipt. The “Tax Relief Day Special” lets you return before April 30 to receive the same order for free.
T.G.I. Friday’s
Diners receive a $5 gift card when they spend $15 to $25. Earn a $10 card for a purchase of more than $25.
BOSTON MARKET: For a "last-minute tax break" -- one free meal for each one you buy Thursday through Sunday -- show this coupon: http://bit.ly/d1YlRO
Here is a full list for you. Here too!:-)
We're back! It's been a whirlwind weekend with a fun, fast trip to Washington D.C.! A good friend of Jim's invited us to the premiere of the movie "Nine Days that Changed the World". It's a movie about Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Poland in 1979. I learned so much, it was very inspiring!
Click here to see the trailer.
Anyway, this film was a labor of love for Newt and Callista Gingrich and they were the hosts of the premiere party on Friday. Our friend Brad worked with them on the movie and invited us to attend. Jim was excited about rubbing shoulders with political types, and I was excited to see a movie about Pope John Paul...so we were both happy for different reasons!:) Here are some photos from the evening.
The premiere took place at Mt. Vernon, the home of the Washington's. Here's Jim, hangin' with George!
Newt and me
Here we are with Fr. Chris, and our friends Brad and Molly!
We spent and evening immersed in a film about the struggles and oppression of the Polish people, their hunger for freedom and all they have endured, and then the hope that Pope John Paul II gave them. We sat next to our priest, Fr. Chris who is from Poland and it was neat to hear his own memories from that time. Then today we heard about the horrible plane crash that has devastated the Polish people...yet again. May God be with them!
Due to our tight time frame, we weren't planning to do any sightseeing....this time. As we were heading out though, we took a wrong turn and literally ended up at the entrance to Arlington! There was no way we couldn't stop and walk around. So we took an abbreviated tour and it was a great way to wrap up the trip.
We made it just in time to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. May God's Divine Mercy be upon our nation and all those who sacrificed that we may be free!
Spring Break is winding down and we have been so blessed with fantastic weather! Until now. Lol. So, feeling the cold and the rain coming on, today we headed to the Green branch of the Akeon-Summit County Public Library. My intention was to stock up on materials for the boys, then get something for me. Well, I didn't quite make it over to the "adult" section, but that was a-okay. I have come to realize that most of what I need is in the children's dept. anyway! Ha ha. It's true though. I would love to read all sorts of biographies etc., but with my schedule it would take months to get through a 300 page dossier of Charlemagne, but I can finish in one sitting with the kids version! That is one great secret I've picked up during our loyal library visits.
Anyway, we tried to cover a good variety of topics that the boys are interested in. We got a great book on Michelangelo, "Why?" by Tomie DePaola (which explains WWII to children), "Escape" which tells the life story of Harry Houdini, and of course we had to get some outdoor nature guides! Lol. The "Field & Forest Handy Book" by Daniel Beard is pretty neat but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone under 7 or 8. No surprise, the one the boys wanted to crack open right away was "Conquerors" and boy did that deliver! It has the coolest tidbits and illustrations and covers everyone from Rameses II to Alexander the Great, Atilla the Hun, Genghis Khan and all of the big names of terror (yikes).
The one I am really excited to tell you about though is called "Take me Back: A Trip Through History from the Stone Age to the Digital Age". I am buying this book! The way it's laid out is so creative and fun and fascinating at the same time. A great reference guide to have on hand for all age levels! Amazon, here I come.
Anyway, next week is "National Library Week". Please support your local library and the great ways they support, educate, and enrich our communities! You can go to www.akronlibrary.org for some great information.
It also turns out they have lectures available from The Teaching Company. YEAH! I'm almost done with "St. Francis of Assisi" and the librarian just ordered "From Jesus to Constantine" for me. Looks like I'll be annoying Jim with the random info I pick up for a long time to come. Wohoo!:)
**Update** Click here to hear our interview with Ray Downing about "The Real Face of Jesus".
I watched a documentary last week that rocked my world. I wish I had a more eloquent way of saying it, but I'm afraid in my near speechless state, that is the depth of what I can come up with. :) It's called "The Real Face of Jesus" and seeks to unpack the 3-D image on the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud itself has been a point of considerable controversy in recent history, and that is something they confront head on. I went into it a little iffy, I will admit. I have seen wacky things on the History Channel before and I didn't know if I could trust the angle they would take. Well, that fear was laid to rest. Wow! The production elements were astounding, and they did a masterful job of laying out the concrete facts from scientists (physicists, researchers, etc) and telling the story of the Shroud. Not only did I watch it last week, but Jim and I watched it together on Friday. We just kept looking at each other and shaking our heads. Then I watched it with my mom and aunt on Saturday. I certainly don't need the Shroud to be declared as authentic to affect my faith either way, I just think the entire concept and program is amazing.
I was hoping to embed a clip from the special, but they have been promptly pulled from You Tube. I did find one source though. Click here for the introduction to "The Real Face of Jesus".
My favorite quote came at the end when one of the experts pondered: "Is it possible that the Shroud presents an opporunity for 21st century people across the world to literally see the Resurrected Christ through photography, to see it for themselves? And in a sense, in a proverbial way, place our hands in his nail wounds and be not faithless, but believe"?
Set your DVR, tell your friends, and check it out this weekend! It will re-air on the History Channel on Saturday at 5:00pm EST.
