Want a glass of milk?

Watch this First (~ 10 Minutes )

Kindof old news (1998?).. but it re-confirms what we already know - lying to the public is not an issue. I'm not totally surprised - I'm just surprised to hear it so simply and factually laid out from the news corporation's own employees that 'profit is truth.'

And before you play the "Fox news" card - take a look at the Amicus Curiae. Lots of news companies chipped a quarter in the bucket.

Gregorian - Heroes (Live at MDR)

Video WARNING

The video I posted below
SHOULD NOT BE WATCHED ANYWHERE IN THE VACINITY of CHILDREN

You have been warned

Also, last year, B had a classmate with one very clever Mommy.
The Mommy told her daughter that flipping the bird means, "I DON'T LOVE GOD!"

Ain't it the truth!

S

Children Learn What They Live

Children Learn What They Live


I'll admit, the first two got me a bit, being a communication junkie and smoker, but the rest of them...

It reminds me of a plaque my Mom had when I was little:


CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

It also reminds me to get to know people before prejudging their behavior.

We have a lot of this video going on in my little town.

My Christmas prayer will be for peace, and love, to permeate our town this and every year.

May peace and love take root, as the mustard seed. May the children affected by anger, pain, greed, despair, and poverty of all kinds be blessed. May they recognize that the faculty and staff at their school love them deeply and unconditionally.

Video hat tip to Gerard. To him and his lovely wife, I say:

There is a need for you and others like you everywhere. God bless you in your endeavors!

Adeste Fideles going LIVE in 5,4,3,2...

Well, not really. The start date for the relaunch of our Catholic greeting and gift company is slated for Epiphany, 2007. That is a season, rather than a date, so it gives me a little wiggle room to get groovin'.

However, our homepage is up.

Also, the Cafe Press site I've been lettin languish for nearly 3 years is decked out for Christmas.

That means there are really cool things for you to purchase LOL

Nah, you don't have to buy anything, but if you like what you see, please spread the word!

Sales now might just mean a trip to the Catholic Marketing Network Convention next month in Birmingham Alabama!

If we don't make it next year, we're definitely going in '08!

So... pray for us! We've been trying to pull this together since before we knew we were expecting #3.

Thank you Brian!

 Thanks to Bri for suggesting Picasa! I'm lovin' it!

The Web Album is HERE! 

Happy Birthday Mr. CD!

We had soooo much fun at our improvised Biergarten party! Thanks so much to all who made it out. Thanks, too, to those who wished my husband well from a distance!

Our friend, the Coffee King, posted photos here

Catholics for Christmas WINNER Spirit of Christmas Award!!

Sometimes, just sometimes, I have a good idea.

I developed the Catholics for Christmas theme around the movie The Little Drummer Boy. And we won. we WON. WE WON!!!

I just looked up the online edition of the Greenville Herald-Banner, and they didn't list us!

I will get the print edidtion, and hope they wrote about us there.

The judges gave us kuddos for being the only float/procession centered around the Nativity.

The kids had a blast! Everyone was in costume! It was most excellent.

If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will.

Looking backward and forward

We had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving! Everything went off without a single hitch (which for us is kinda unusual!)

Hope yours was great, too!

We had a crew at Mom's! All of us, Mom and all who reside there, my Nana, my uncle and his wife, my MIL, and a couple of other really nice folks.

A good time was had by all.

In other news, I've started a group called Catholics for Christmas which will march in at least one of the parades held in the area.

The idea I came up with is so easy to pull off, you wouldn't believe it. I hope some of my friends in other areas will take it up and do it for their kiddos, too!

We had a really beautiful Christ the King procession at church today.

The big kids and I also helped decorate a float for another parade today.

Then we had a girls' night out and watched the American Girl movie, Molly

One last note.

Please pray for the Pope. He's headed to Turkey from 28 Nov to 1 Dec.

I sent this to some other people, and it's not a bad idea to put it here, too!

I know you are praying for the Holy Father as he walks into the minefield that is Turkey.

A moment of deep panic struck me tonight as I recalled being in Germany when I was younger. The loathing between Germans and the Turkish guest workers is, as you probably know, extremely palpable, even in the most surprising (to me) places. I don't think I had experienced that level of mutual distrust and outright resentment in my whole life.

In any case, I know all I can do from here is pray. Just wanted you to know I unite my prayers with yours in the coming week.

Have a good week!

Viva la Providencia!

What a week! Whew... lemme catch my breath.

Wednesday, my favorite Christmas present (who turns 4 in December!!) got a new puppy! It's a great pyrenees/black lab mix. This one received the white gene. He has had 3 names... Jack (which B suggested), "Baby Dog" (lil' guy's 1st choice), the the shorter, and simpler, "Puppy!"

He's a furball! So, so , sooooo cute, and good natured! Didn't even blink when the twins thought he was a horse. Then they thought he was a bouncy horse, and he whimpered a bit. What a doll!

Then, would you believe it? On Saturday Mr. CD bought a 14 month old nubian goat! Her name was Molly, which is also the title of a certain American Girl movie coming out next weekend. So, her primary caregiver is, naturally, the eldest girl child. Said daughter has wanted a milk goat forever... she's big Heidi fan.

The news gets better... The goat will kid in January or February, so we didn't have to hit the ground running on milking!! YEA! says convivialmama

Also, the goat was just down the road, at a very good price. This after searching all over Texas for one.

After we looked at Molly, we left to drop off the kids so CD could pick her up. The sellers called and offered to deliver. Thank goodness! It turns out it would have been impossible to have her just sit in the car.

An hour after they dropped her off, they called and said CD was welcome to come back and pick up a goat house. Wonderful! What a deal CD got Saturday. He is AMAZING!

We may have a sheep in our near future, too. CD's mom said it would be best to raise puppy and a sheep together. Then she offered to get one for us!

Ok... somebody pinch me... this week has just been entirely too good!

This is exciting news!

Just found out that English Country Dance is being offered nearby.

Number one son has been playing Pirates! His favorite part of the game, aside from the swashbuckling, is the dancing. Quite the gentleman pirate, he is!

And, of course, daughter number one would *love* it! The grace, the dresses, and to be be among friends! Wheeeeee!

I bet even the almost 4 year old would get a kick out of it!!

So, here's hoping they have another round of practices for us to join in!

New Music

Hey there! Well, little bit's test came back normal. Shocking... can't figure it out. Oh well, thank God!

I heard a song on the radio today that I really like, so I'm sharing. I was pleasantly surprised to find two others I really like by the same artist (rare for me!)

The man is Rodney Atkins. The music is country. Turn the sound off, because for some reason, the most annoying ad in the world head these pages. The songs are Watching You, Angel's Hands, and Cleaning This Gun (Come on in Boy).

Reading the lyrics doesn't really do justice to the songs, so if you enjoy the words, download and hear the stories sung.

Cleaning This Gun just rocks... I'm actually looking forward to those days LOL We have it all figgered out (HEH!) The boys will get to come to Target Practice Saturdays. Wait til they getta load of my 3 guys. By then it'll be 4, won't it?!

The girls will have tea with B, D, and I, appropriate attire, appreciation for beauty, and ability to engage in polite (but not contrived) conversation expected.

Anyway, just sharin'

Have a good one!

Unbelievable

So, the youngest son is still having tummy trouble, which has gotten progressively WORSE despite all the TLC Mommy, yogurt, and 10 lbs of bananas can provide. Yesterday afternoon, I took him to the doctor, and the doctor said,

"We're going to test for salmonella."

See Mommy.
See Mommy's jaw drop.
Somebody pick Mommy up.
Uhhhhhhhh Huh.

No, I'm not kidding. Yes, I'm taking my meds. No, we hadn't heard about the 18 state tomato salmonella outbreak until 11 am today.

The results of said test take 3-4 days. He's on antibiotics, Thank God! Pray for my little guy... it's been a rough, clingy, need my mama NOW 2 weeks.

Back to farming

The cooler weather has helped me get back into setting things in place around the farm.

Wednesday, I carved out next year's gardens by mowing about 1/4 acres. It's so cool! Whacking 2 foot tall grass actually helps me visualize where things will be placed.

Figuring the ground would never be wetter than now, I set 20 or so t-posts yesterday, completing the front pasture's skeleton.

The big kids and I then dug holes for apple and peach trees.

Today was *very* windy, so I kept the little ones (and myself!) inside.

Mea Culpa

Well, it sounds like a lot of folks came down with a horrid tummy bug shortly after the annual shindig.

I am so, so, soooooo s*o*r*r*y.

Even my Mom caught it!

What she has, and others are describing, is downright ungodly, and I might add, a heckuva lot worse than what my family went through last week.

However, I came down with the milder bug (eek!) Saturday night at midnight, and B came down with the milder bug (double eek!) Sunday.

So I am left to wonder... is it our fault the area's community colleges and businesses are lacking their brightest talent this week?

Egads, I pray it isn't so, but could be.

If so, I would like to humbly submit that I am überconscientious about spreading disease. We *were* illness free for 48 hours before the party, because if there's one thing I *hate*, it's when people share sickness.

And so, I also humbly submit: I coulda goofed, and a lot of people seem to be suffering badly, so mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, dear friends.

You know you have twins when

well, never mind the details. Probably waaaayyy TMI, but they've caught the tummy bug, too. 3 down, 2 to go.

News Roundup from the Farm

In cool news:

Today, our eldest convivialgirl harvested 14 lil' pumpkins from the "came from outta nowhere" patch today!!

Eldest convivialboy and middle convivialboy collected 12 eggs today!!

In weird news:

A nearby (not our) school district is considering having an on campus POLICE department. You read that right... not security dept. POLICE dept.

In sad news:

Middle convivialboy has stomach virus. Nothin' says lovin' like oatmeal and cinnamon toast 12-24 hours later

Ahhhhhhh

A friend of many moons sent me a link to Cocteau Twins videos.

For the record, Aikea-Guinea, Iceblink Luck, Bluebeard, and Evangeline are among those songs that strike that peculiar chord of Life and Love in me. Some of those you can't see on video are From the Flagstones, Lorelei, Orange Appled, and Know Who You Are at Every Age.

One last note. Don't worry about lyrics. This is a sound that transcends language. And for those who know me, that's quite something. I am a stickler about language (on paper and in my choices of music. In person, I pretend to be laid back, getting by with as few words as humanly possible.)

Every single song from this band is worth a listen. And on that note, I am off to my ipod to retreive these songs for my daughter.

We love our German Shepherd!!

Yes, that's a corny phrase, but 2 thumbs up for Papa Benedict!

Evidently, the Muslims are enraged over a sound bite taken from Pope Benedict XVI's address at Uni Regensburg. If you have time, read the whole thing. If the newspapers were serious, they'd quit postulating that the Pope is not media savvy and print the whole text. Mass Communication... an oxymoron

Eine schöne Schrift

or... how to teach children to write lovely letters.

I am picky about the strangest things. This is, I'm sure you know, a given.

Yikes! All I wanted was a nice, German font to teach the eldest cursive. Why? Well, I think the handwriting taught in school is lacking, and I really want something lovely. So... turns out the German font I preferred has an S that could be confused for an L. Fortunately, I tried before I bought.

I had another Schulschrift I bought last year. The only thing I don't like about that one is the t's look funny, crossed on the bottom rather than the middle. My graphics editor says he can fix it pretty easily. This is good, because the eldest really digs the new style, but wants to cross those t's!!

We're trying something unusual. The first quarter, most of her writing will be traced or, if an original work, retraced using this font. I believe one of the reasons penmanship suffers so in this country is a lack of correct practice. You can't really expect perfect penmaship from copying off a board, can you? (Not a rhetorical question!)

Any of my teacher friends who have insight or opinions about the correct methodolgy and/or current state of handwriting , drop a line.

BRING IT ON!!!

I rarely write on anything remotely political, but this is some interesting stuff. The Christian-Ziomist group is cheering on the IAF and the IDF - which a nice pop in from our President in support. Oh, and a few other important people are waving too..

This evangelical political philosophy is rooted in biblical prophecies and a belief that Israel's struggles signal a prelude to Armageddon. Its followers staunchly support the Bush administration's unequivocal backing of Israel in its current battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

President Bush sent a message to the gathering praising Mr. Hagee and his supporters for "spreading the hope of God's love and the universal gift of freedom." The Israeli prime minister also sent words of thanks. Israel's ambassador, its former military chief and a host of U.S. political heavyweights, mostly Republican, attended.

Wow is the only word I have for this.

I mean, this is bizaar stuff to me. I admit that in the past I was enamoured with Revelation (I think all Christian youths are at some point) - but I never, ever would have a BRING IT ON attitude towards this.

War is not pretty... it's not fun... and trying to "map" the hand of God onto this is ludicrous. Yes, I do know that God is present and certainly watching us.. that's not the point. The point is that us Humans shouldn't be pressing for war to fulfill Armagheddon. As for me, I'm keeping a bag packed full of clothes :-)

Full article here.

"Behold, I am coming like a thief." Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his clothes ready, so that he may not go naked and people see him exposed. Rev 16:15

At least I know some(thing) is reading my blog...

I feel fine.. Now that I've I said it in my blog the whole world can find us and build statistical groups of us.

Someone finally did it and now you can see some interesting applications here. It's tracking people's "emotions", mapping them by their current local weather, and allows graphical drill down based on numerous factors.

Marketers are crying, and the goverment is listening. I don't know the implications here - this is a very simplistic model - but the presentation is compelling.

And she did cut a wide swath

And she did then take up her machinery
And she did cut a wide swath
That the hens might have hay
With which to build nests
For the time of their laying was fast approaching
Also that her children might run amok
In ever wider, open pastures
For twas the season of heat
But yea verily upon eveningtide
Twas cool enough that 91 felt like 68
And at such a time, the children could make merry
Romping through the fields with utter abandon and sheer delight

And it was good...
for as the heat relinquished its brutal grip upon the land
something outside the confines of the home was accomplished

That 'bout sums up my evening...
Does anybody really read this goofy stuff?

Old Cure for Contemplation

I am not excited about the developments in Israel and Lebanon. My best friends in high school were a Lebanese Catholic (yes, there are more than a few over there!), and a Muslim from Egypt.

This will expand, IMHO, and be very difficult for America if I am not mistaken. (Could be, hope I am)

So, some thoughts from the old Cure are swimming around in my brain...

Killing an Arab
World War

Yeah, I know, silly me.

New Cure

I have been a fan of The Cure for many, many years. It all started when I saw the video for Boys Don't Cry in Bremen, Germany when I was 14. Yeah... well over 20 years ago.

So, I had to buy Staring at the Sea the next day. Wow. Loved it.

Came home with my new collection of pictures of these unusual looking musicians. (Side note... I read a blog last night that suggested R. Smith got his hair and makeup tips from the recently deceased Syd Barrett. That's a joke, but there is this odd similarity.) The music is fantastic. I love the riffs. I am a lyrics person at heart, though, and I found a lot of interesting lyricism in The Cure's works.

And so, when I'd go to Austin to whup up at the state German contests, I began collecting older material, including a rare copy of Three Imaginary Boys. Even have a copy of Do the Hansa, which I find ironic LOL I was having a lot of fun.

Fast forward more than 20 years. I just downloaded Taking Off. What an amazing song for we convivial types. I mean *really* And the video soars (literally) (300kbps streaming. see http://www.thecure.com/downloads/ for 56kbps)

The antithesis of Taking Off would have to be The End of the World. But that video... again, wow. Yes, of course there's plenty anticonvivality floating about in their songs, but IMHO it serves to highlight the grotesque disorder of the world.

Speaking of which, have you seen the Dani California video by the Red Hot Chili Peppers? You will laugh your, well, see for yourself I have a lot to say about this, but primarily it lies in the realm of explaining marketing to the kids when they're much, much older LOL

Summer fun ends

Well, for me, the organizer, summer fun ends tomorrow. Our babysitter, who has given me 4 hours a day to figure stuff out, goes overseas. :(

Although the changes might seem small, they were hugely necessary. The playroom was not completed, but the house will finally be attacked by a professional steam cleaner Friday. This was supposed to have happened the week before we moved in.

As I mentioned in the previous post, those days of "why did we do this?!?!" are slowly subsiding. We still have more than we can manage, but it's kind of fun to tackle it bit by bit. Someday, we will have 10 lush, fun, productive acres. (sigh)

Progress = FUN!

Mr. Convivial has finished the outside of the shed!!

I've put in 1/4 of the t-posts for the front pasture!

The kids' bathroom should be done by the end of the week!

and then... we convert the 4th room to a playroom.

How cool is that?

This is no longer the museum it has been for nearly 3 years... it is becoming ours, minute by minute. Cooooooolnessssss. :)

Why I missed Polidori

Well, I did get to stand in front of an audience, and I did read a "story" - but it wasn't Polidori - twas an investment meeting for a game company I'm involved with.

If you like strategy board games, you'd probably enjoy our Barrell Games. And soon, we're going to produce a VERY cool online system (yeah, that's where I come in)

Castile 1230
Made by:
IV Realms

I'd like to invite everyone to come out and play. No, they're not for sale so we can't even give you a copy. But it would be great to get feedback and just get together! It'll be in the Dallas area.

Ohh, and we WILL make it in October.

May... the Monumental Month

We have much to celebrate in May! Today is our 10th anniversary. Tomorrow the twins will be 1 year old. And every year, it strikes me as providential, though unplanned, that Mothers' Day always follows our wedding date so closely.

I have so much to be thankful for.

And then comes June, and the party to end all parties ;)

Life is good. Indeed, 'tis convivial.

The lima beans are, uh, lacking??

Boy, what a crummy day. Started out with a trip to a new dentist, who referred the mama to an oral surgeon. But only after prescribing hefty doses of antibiotics and pain meds. I have grown accustomed to breaking teeth after having a baby. A small price to pay IMHO. But this, well, this just bites.

On top of that, 3 orphaned kittens died. That the kids *loved*, fed, blanketed, and cuddled for 3 days. Eldest is devastated. The whole "life on a farm" speech failed utterly (quite understandably)

And then to top it all off, I fell while painted the kids' bathroom. Hard. On my back. Indeed, I am up at this late hour solely because I dread the pain and stiffness tomorrow will bring.

On the brighter side of things, I planted a pumpkin plant that is blooming! The bathroom *is* mostly painted a really cool deep blue. I dug the post holes for the toddler playground the twins are getting for their birthday (which is this Friday!!!) And our grocery store sent us coupons for 2 free birthday cakes (how cool is that?!) Also, we've got a line on 2 sets of bunkbeds for an unbelivable price.

So there is still good in the world. Being in it just hurts more than usual today.

Pax

Progress Rocks!!!

We've gotten so much done in the last 2 days!

Chicken palace... done!
yard extension to road... in progress!
dog run... 3/4 done!!

and... the 1st pieces of the toddler playground arrived today! an eggplant rocker and peapod teeter-totter! (the carrot slide and pumpkin sandbox are due in late June)

Did I mention, we are going to make this the coolest place on earth?? ;)

Yea, PROGRESS!!!

The Great Blank Canvas

That's what I call our property. We're beginning to fill in the landscape.

It's starting to look something like a home, with new flower beds around the trees and little hydrangeas in front of our window.

This year is the year of livestock preparation. We're going to fence for cattle, goats, and sheep. Also on the "to do list" are a feeder pond at the top of the property, providing for pump circulated streams through the pastures, fixing the road, building a bridge, and readying the side of the road for fruit trees next year.

Of immediate concern are the chicken run, a larger dog run, and veggie/herb gardening.

If we accomplish all of the above this year, we will turn our focus toward building the coolest playground/party place on earth.

The great blank canvas... may it be lushly fleshed out!!

Triduum Begins

Tonight, los ninos and I went to Holy Thursday Mass. It was intensely moving. Intensely is not a word I use lightly. I mean it*was*in*tense*

I don't know how the men whose feet were washed held it together.

I don't know who wouldn't have been startled as the usual 3 bells were replaced by loud claps of wood.

I just don't know a lot about how other people receive the mystery of these three days.

I do know I've spent far too many years stiffling my reaction to it.

Guess it would be wise for me to wear a really long mantilla or scarf and bring a couple of handkerchiefs to the Good Friday service and the march in silence that follows it.

Quizzical

Prompted by the LQ's "What kind of writer are you?"... (I'm a poet, no big surprise)

BTW, why am I up so late taking silly quizzes that confirm my own suspicions??

#1 kiddo jumped off a playset and sustained 2 fractures above her elbow last night. She's in hospital and will have surgery (to put pins in it) in the morning.

So... here's the silliness. Off to rest am I.

Your Values Profile

Loyalty: You value loyalty a fair amount. You're loyal to your friends... to a point. But if they cross you, you will reconsider your loyalties. Staying true to others is important to you, but you also stay true to yourself. Honesty: You value honesty highly. You're unflinchingly honest, even when it's not easy. For you, integrity is very important - in yourself and others. People may not always like what you say, but they know they can trust it. Generosity: You value generosity highly. So much so that you often put your own needs last. edited out by me - celogo Humility: You value humility highly. You have the self-confidence to be happy with who you are. And you don't need to seek praise to make yourself feel better. You're very modest, and you're keep the drama factor low. Tolerance: You value tolerance a fair amount. You are open to new cultures, beliefs, and ideas. You have very few prejudices that you're aware of. And while you are tolerant, you do stand true to what you believe.

The Five Factor Values Test

The big one...

Well, we did it.

Two weeks... two parents... one car.. five kids... fourteen states...

I, having work in New England, dragged (ha!) family to skiing, and site-seeing across the country. Visited many friends and family, too.

All I can say is wow... what a trip!

Nothin' say Love like a Warm Blanket

I am ever amazed by my friend, the LQ.

Last week, she sent my eldest a beautiful crocheted blanket. Pink in the middle with a wide swath of purple edging. B absolutely adores it.

What the LQ probably doesn't know is that the blankets she crocheted for #1 and #2 are now the favorite night time snuggles of #4 and #5. :)

I'll tell you what, I really, really want to learn how to make those blankets. Nothing, nothing says "I love you" more than a homemade blanket.

Thanks, Lady. You are the sweetest!!

Not even remotely convivial

Muslims protest in London

Is anyone else concerned about this? I am.

How to support the Pope

This is what one of the results you get when you look up "Bad Ass Catholic" on Google... truly funny.

... I don’t care if he just broke into your house yesterday and stole all your DVD’s; you somehow deserved it. If the pope is currently robbing a liquor store, you can be sure I’m outside keeping the engine running in the getaway car. Hey, I have a religion I ain’t going to half-ass it...

Source: http://www.imao.us/

Sparks a'flyin' at the Border

This Dallas Morning News article requires subscription, but it may be worth it in this case.

Our border with Mexico is porous, folks. Has been forever. But suddenly, well... Suffice it to say, I don't like the steady upbeat tempo of the war drums being pounded. Talk of tightening the border has infuriated Vincente Fox, I hear...

I recall back in my teenage years working with a guy who was Iranian-American. He said people often confused him as a Mexican. Which baffled me.

However, whenever people talk about the possibility of Muslims easily crossing over through Mexico, I am reminded of the conversation.

Read the article if you can, and tell me what you think.

Also read today that Bush is calling his immigration reform a "Guest Worker Program." Puh-leeze! Can't he see how well that's served Europe? It's insulting to intelligent Americans. Guess it sounds good to somebody.

The latest goings on are about drugs coming in, but they have prompted calls such as this:

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a frequent critic of the administration's border security efforts, called Tuesday for the federal government and the governments of southern border states to immediately deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in light of what he termed "recent armed assistance Mexico's military has given to drug smugglers."

"Our border has literally turned into a war zone with foreign military personnel challenging our laws and our sovereignty," Mr. Tancredo said.

"The only way to deal with this dangerous situation is to tap the resources of our own military," Mr. Tancredo said. "I call on President Bush and the governors of border states to immediately deploy military personnel to defend our borders against the Mexican military."

U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to initiate a formal investigation on the reported border crossings and to begin a dialogue with Mexican officials to prevent further occurrences.

"These illegal incursions are a violation of our sovereignty and pose a significant danger to U.S. law enforcement officials and citizens near the border – especially if all parties involved are armed. The potential for violence is significant.

Mr. Kyl noted that the Department of Homeland Security released figures that indicate that there have been 231 documented incursions along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico since 1996.

Whither Traditions??

A post at the LQ's place got me going, and rather than post this lengthy query there, here it shall reside:

You know there are a couple of things I'm interested in from a fellow mutt perspective. Perhaps you, or someone reading this, can direct me to some resources on these subjects.

The first thing I am somewhat concerned about it diet. Every culture seems to have fine tuned its diet based on several factors. There was a lot of healing wisdom throw in with the day to day task of preparing meals. In our "culture" there is little such wisdom passed down with the Betty Crocker Cookbook. This is one reason I *love* the bunny's blog :)

The second thing I find interesting is that child birth and rearing was a much more communal undertaking than our present system of 3 days in the hospital, you're on your own. (caveat, if you're really lucky, Grandma can come help or friends bring meals and help with babysitting for a while, which is *lovely*.)

In Japan, I think it is, mothers are given quiet solitude to bond with their bambinos for many weeks. Hebrews had fascinating rituals that allowed for bonding and healing.

In any case, I am very interested in learning more about traditional cultural practices in the kitchen and during the early childbearing years.

One of the problems with being a mutt is, what is the best thing to do? How do we accomplish that in this day and age?

Many of us come from families that were separated from a traditional approach, and just muddled through. I thought this was a recent phenomenon until I found a book by Better Homes and Gardens from the 1930s on how to handle babies.

Enough... just curious and looking for info.

Talk about convivial

There's just something about a farmhouse table that says comfort. It's convivial in the truest sense. It looks lovely, solid, warm, charming.

Mr. D. gave me one for my birthday. Seats 8 comfortably, 10 snuggly. What a wonderful gift! I look forward to years of meals and morning coffees around our new table.

Thank you!!!

On yer mark, get set...

GO

35 and still alive, or, choices

As I approach my birthday this week, I am so grateful to just be here, period. It has been an uphill battle for the past 18 or so months. But this week, having been diagnosed with a far less horrible illness than anticipated, I've made up for lost time.

On Sundays, I get worn out pretty easily after participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I love a good nap afterwards. But today, I tried something different... I cooked meals for the entire week.

It ain't easy being the Mom of 5, 'specially if you're used to flying by the seat of your pants. Having done that for over 15 years, it is indeed refreshing to get it together and try to keep it that way. A new Frigidaire washer (made in the USA!!) and a little story on NPR about Super Suppers helped get the energy going.

It's not so much that I'm lazy as it is that I am very easily overwhelmed. We plumbed the depths of that twice in the past year, and although I considered myself extremely easygoin', the truth is, I am a rabid stress puppy.

And so, with a great amount of joy, we have made life a whole lot more organized in the past week. I have been storming heaven for the energy I need to be the person I'd like to become. It's been exhausting, but it is thrilling in the end to have acheived so much in a short period of time.

Here's the short list:
fixed walls in the house
caught up on laundry with the help of an *awesome* new washer
homeschooled completely and successfully every day
reorganized the shed so Mr. Conviviality could find tools to improve the ranch
cooked meals for a week in one felled swoop
reorganized kids' rooms (esp. closets)

There's more piddly, mundane day to day stuff that was accomplished. But the jist of this all is, I might actually become the woman I have always wanted to be in my 35th year. I am not 19 anymore (THANK YOU, GOD!!) I can finally look forward to growing old rather than attempting to stay young. (Nearly dyin' will do that to a person.)

Our Pope calls it "perpetual adolescence." I'm finally moving beyond it.

I thank God for my health, my husband, and my babies.

And I am eternally grateful for my friends, without whom this past year would have been impossible to survive. You are blessings. Thank you.

Mrs. Convivial Dingo

Thank you to Mr. Convivial Dingo for setting me up to blog here, in the realm of organic happiness. :)

Things are well here in the country. We've brought our shining son home for school, and it has been lovely. He is doing very. very well.

Our eldest remains in school. She will complete the year so she can stay with friends, serve on student council, and enjoy Girl Scouts. At the awards ceremony this week, she acquired 9 new awards. Three were for UIL competions, where she placed 1st in spelling, story telling, and team spelling. Shiny medals are just too cool.

Our little Christmas present is learning the importance of Brotherhood. It's sooo cute to see him defend his big brother. Sympathetic lil' guy.

The twins are sitting up on their own and pulling up on everything they can reach. Crawling is surely just around the corner. (YIKES!)

Hope you enjoying life, too!

Iran and the Big Threat

Just considering the news this morning - SUDDENLY most diplomats in Europe are about to come down on Iran. Russian is feeling the heat, and China is - as usual - being cautious.

Why the big change?? Well, we know that they broke their research moritorium and have proceeded to enrich nuclear materials.

But, in my misguided and probably wrong oppinion - I think it's Israel.

See, Iran's prez said he'd "wipe Israel" of the map last month, now he's enriching nuclear fissile materials. Inteligence said that they've got medium range missiles from Russia 4 years ago. They've got enough oil for the next 100 years - what's the rush with nuclear fission?

I think Israel went to the UN and said - you help us stop them, or we'll decorate Iran in green glass. Fact is - that the mere threat of nuclear retaliation has held the really bad dogs from jumping on Israel.

Once that advantage is gone - what's to keep the next Osama from devastating Israel and perhaps the Middle East? Perhaps it will be a real honest to goodness war, or perhaps it'll be a "unknown terrorist cell."

I think things are worse over there than the American public perceives it to be. Diplomats don't suddenly jump like they did today without a real and confirmed threat.

~CD

Ohh shiny new Apples

Unless you've been living under a rock latily, you must know that Apple is shifting away from PowerPC chips to Intel ia32 chips. Oddly enough, all the new gaming consoles are shifting TO PowerPC (and derivitives).

I've been highly interested in the new Apple MacBook pro - for the main reason that it (will eventually) run Linux as well as OS X. That would be very, very nice. If you have not played with OS X then you are really missing out - it's just dead cool. And it has a real command line, unix kernel, and all the goodies to fascinate software geeks for many years to come.

They were announced on the 10'th of January - and here's the whole point of the article. The stock market jumped up and Apple's stock closed at $80.86. (look at 1/10/06)

Yeah, as in Intel 8086.

LOL.. now I really wonder if the tin-foil hat guys are right about the stock market?

Know your customer...

A Wal-Mart exec has taken the "Know your customer" slogan to heart and faces two years in the slammer...

Yep, he got some gift cards and bought shotguns, vodka, and Celine Dion CD's. Ohh, and Polish sausage for the trip home.

On the same note...

According to WorldNetDaily, the Iranian President believes he's setting the world stage to bring about the Shi'te messiah.

The WND article is here

That's freakin' bizaar, and on the level of fanatical Christians hoping that the existance of a modern day Israel will bring about the second coming.

All I can imagine is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.. except they're got nukes down there.

I'm Christian, but I know my place - it's plainly laid out in Revelations that neither you nor I will know the exact time of the second coming. Enjoy guessing, watch for the signs yes.. but the point is to always be prepared - not to get ready "just in time."

~CD

What do you leave behind?

Mark Steyn wraps up the whole western demographics debate nicely. He also is shooting fairly straight.

I call it "Darwin in action."

~CD