A little peace and quiet

Well, I haven't quiet figured all this blogging out, because even though I loaded the pictures in the order I wanted, they came out backwards. This is the place in which I went on retreat. It is called Queen of Apostles Center, in Imperial, Missouri. Very restful place, good food, good environment and comfortable surroundings. The pictures show the outside entrance, some of the grounds surrounding the center, a meeting room, my messy bedroom, and the kitchenette I used. In case you can't stand the absolute quiet, there was a tv with a dish, so my obsession with watching the weather could continue! Thanks, Sr. Virginia, Sr. Rosemary, Sr. Katherine, and Sr. Emily! What a lovely time!

I Promise to Clean My Room

Had this built in the backyard over the weekend...We'll see if they forget to clean their rooms, now....ha ha, just kidding. This is part of the Halloween exhibit at Grant's Farm. All the kids gave this a try.

Budget crunchy update

I almost forgot to update on how we did with the weekly menu. We actually fared a lot better than I anticipated, because the husband brought home Honeybaked ham and turkey and a bunch of sides from a work luncheon, which actually postponed a dinner. Then, we had the opportunity for a date night, so that night the kids ate McD's while the husband and I dined on steak and scallops. Yum. So....anyway, we did stick to the menu otherwise, and while Beaver is still balking at the veggies, everyone ate well. With that in mind, here's the upcoming menu for this week:
1. bagel pizzas (homemade--those BagelBites are a rip-off!)
2. Chicken and pasta with squash
3. Chili or bean soup, not sure which, but they both sound good
4. "Fish 'n' chip" night
5. Grilled steak from last week that we never ate
6. Ham/potato gratin

That's my best guess. Now, this will be adaptable, because I know at least one meal I won't be home. So...that leaves the husband to cook it, or if he so desires, take the boys out for waffles and pancakes. Other than milk and fruit, I don't anticipate a shopping trip. I stocked up on the veggies during my shopping this past week (I had to go--they were offering chicken at $2 pound!).

3-2-1-Blastoff!!

"This is the coolest playground ever, Mom." We brought paper airplanes to shoot off the top of the rocketship. That thing is taller than you'd think, too. I think that as small as Beaver is, it probably seemed 10 stories high to him. I know my knees were wobbly--of course, I get vertigo just looking out the second story window of my own house.

Full moon, Wednesday morning

Full moon over my neighbor's house, 7 am. I couldn't believe how bright it was at that hour of the day, but I guess it was getting the reflection off the rising sun.

Last weekend, I worked at the hospital. As weekends go, it was a pretty smooth one. No angry doctors, the patients were generally agreeable, and no last minute procedures thrown into the schedule leaving me stuck on the clock that much longer.
Every time I work at the hospital, though, I am reminded of my own health. I've had patients who have various illnesses brought on by smoking or drinking too much, some with injuries related to these vices; I have some with heart issues, diabetes, etc that may be helped, even prevented by taking care of oneself. And while it's easy to say "this could've been prevented," it's equally important to realize that many diseases and illnesses do not discriminate. Each patient should be treated respectfully in this manner. Despite anyone's individual weakness toward a particular vice, I, too, have my own weaknesses and would want my treatment to be top priority to those working with me.
Every time I work at the hospital, I am also reminded of my mortality, as well as my loved ones. Death is ugly and inevitable, yet for a few lucky people can be peaceful and quiet. I like to think of those who have gone on ahead of me as being welcomed into heaven. That does give me some peace. Jesus paved this path for me, by dying for me, and giving me baptism. One day, heaven will be my path. I do have fears and anxiety about it; that is normal, I am finding, and more often, I find that many people my own age are starting to have these fears. That is, I guess a weakness of faith. Thinking about not being with my kids or my husband is overwhelmingly sad to me, yet I am confident of their path to heaven, too, being baptized and forgiven as well.
I now include in my daily prayers that God continually strengthens my faith and knowledge of His love, that He will protect and preserve me on this earth as long as He sees fit. The human in me says I hope it will be for a long time, to see my kids grown and possibly have their own children. But that's just me.

I can see my breath at the breakfast table

Today was the first cold, cold morning of fall. Without the heat turned on, our house was a chilly 58 degrees this morning, and as each kid got out of bed, I quickly threw on the socks and sweat jackets over them and greeted each one with a mug of cocoa. It worked--each one immediately cheered up and warmed up. At one point I looked at them, all with their hoods on, bent over their cocoa, like "down on their luck" fellows. But soon, one made monkey sounds and I knew it was my own kids.