The-Tapestry-of-Our-Lives

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas is here....the fast is over. The meal has been eaten, the gifts have been opened and enjoyed...and now for what is REALLY ompo'tant....sitting and enjoying family. *sigh*.... God is good!

Still here....

2011-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

So much to be thankful for...and doing just that with my fam. God is good.

First-Day-of-school blues

2011-08-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last year there was a little toot in Kinder....sand somehow I knew he would be in my room. But hey, a teacher can hope....can't she? So after helping corral him one day after school I told him, "Son, you had better pray to your God this summer that you do not end up in my room next year".

A quick "yes ma'am" was the reply.

Fast forward to this year....and there is my little pip marching himself into my room...rats!

"What happened, little man?" ask I.

He looks up at me and said, "I guess I didn't pray hard enough!"

Indeed.

Or maybe I am the one who did not pray hard enough.....

Getting ready....

2011-08-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

for the 2011 - 2012 scholastic year. Tomorrow Teachers return....to get their rooms ready, to get lessons ready, to attend those all-important meetings the district is simply convinced will bring down the Wisdom of Solomon upon us.....and all we really want to do is get our rooms ready!

Am I ready? Is my mind in the proper frame to enable me to grasp all the meaning to be found in all those district-required in-services? Um nope. The only thing I want to do is get my room ready!

Cuteness Overload!

2011-07-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

See little Eleni.

    Eleni is cute.

          Eleni is adorable.

                  Eleni sits like a lady.

Sit Eleni, sit.

Eleni dresses like a cute thug.

Word.

What do YOU have in YOUR...

2011-07-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

~~wallet~~ er...bed?

For us it's 4 cats, 2 small dogs, and 2 people....thankfully we have a king-size bed!

LOL!

Writing....

2011-07-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

After ~~stalking~~ reading another blog I was inspired to "pick up the ole pen" as they say (who exactly is "they"?) and begin writing again...not about only beg events, but mostly about our everyday lives. My friend ET (essential thrombocythemia) has given me many unexpected gifts....and one of them is the pure joy of contentment with my life...things that give me great pleasure.

And so I will begin...starting now....as I sit here with my family enjoying our new entertainment unit (and TV too! - more on THAT later)...just chillin'....having our Voyager / Mission Impossible / Murder She Wrote view-athon. Just appreciating my wonderful family....the way things are, and the changes to the house that are coming (renovations, renovations, MUCH NEEDED renovations - I mean seriously, the sink falling lower and lower toward the floor is NOT a good thing....), and the knowledge that I get to do this with my family and my VERY, VERY BESTEST FRIEND in the whole of the wide world - Man of House.

So what that these renovations are going to take a while (money and all)....it just s t r e t c h e s out the joy!

God is good!

Still here....

2011-06-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

Yup, I'm still here....just alotta things happening....but will be back in a while....!

I am a Yia-yia (Grandmother)!!!!

2011-04-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

On April 12 @ 3:26 am, God blessed us with a little granddaughter - Eleni Sophia.

Little Eleni:
     7 lbs 12 oz
     21 in. long

Yia-yia and Papou:
     Over the moooooooooonnnnn!

And now, a picture of the little lady: Ya gotta admit....this is one cutie pie! Ooooo, I could just eat her up!

And one of daddy and his little girl.... I am so proud of this boy....he is going to make a fine daddy....

Words fail me....they cannot do justice to the depths of my feelings....I thank God for her, and pray that she grow to walk in His way...to always follow His laws.....

Free Monks (Eleftheri)

2011-03-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

During the this Lenten Period, we limit our TV and music. But while surfing the net, I remembered what my mother had told me about these Greek Orthodox Monks who perform rock & rap (yep, ya heard me right!) to as a way of getting to the young generation.

So I blogged them and this is what I found. I don't know how to get the translation for their songs...but the words for "I've Learned to Live Free" make some good sense to me...their words ring true and are so applicable in today's society.

Go to this link...pretty nice...

Coming Clean

2011-03-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I cannot....simply cannot....abide, live with, endure, wrap my mind around dirt, disorganization, sloppyness.....chaos. It drives me insane, crazy, coo-coo, nuts....I think you get the point.

Sooooo....ta ta ta taaaa! It is time once again for my annual Paschal Clean-up and Rodeo! Oh how I look forward to this event....! Things are pulled out, cleaned, returned to their original place (albeit in a more orderly fashion).

However, this year my good friend ET (Essential Thrombocythemia) had other plans....and these plans brooked no changes....I thought that this year we would be in the throws of dirt and disorganization....

Yet through the bleakness of this fear came my Knight in Shining Armor....Man of House. He stayed by me and helped me with all my "little projects"....thus things were done to my standard....even though they were done a little more slowly. But, they were done among much laughter and good heart-to hearts.

This was the best "clean up" in years.....and I thank God for this illness and the opportunities He creates via it.

Thanks for your help Boo....I sure do luuuurve you!

The Second Week of Lent.....

2011-03-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

....is upon us, and I was just thinking of the writings in one of my new favorite blogs Mystagogy (if you have not gone to this blog, go...now...do it!). It was just what I needed to give me strength to continue the Lenten Journey...and to help put things into perspective.

So many times in the past I have been rushing here or there...to do this or that....and somehow Lent (be it Christmas, Pascha, The Lent for Sts. Peter & Paul, or the Lent for the Dormition of our Holy Theotokos) has just run right by me...and I have not gleaned as much spiritual benefit as I should have. Why, the last time I remember growing spiritually during a Lenten Period was when I was in Grad School...and that was over 20 years ago (wow, has it really been that long??? Oooooo)!!!

But now with my new companion (Essential Thrombocythemia) I can only do so much. After a while my body just quits and simply refuses to go on. At such moments I stop and think....or pray....or read spiritually enlightening books.

It took this illness to accomplish a certain amount of growth within me....and for that I am grateful to God. I guess He tried to get my attention in so many ways and felt sorry for me in that I was just not heeding His signs....so He gave me another chance! Glory to God!

May God continue to guide this sinner as she continues her spiritual journey...and may He bless all of us to become closer to Him during this Lent.

Thinking....remembering...

2011-03-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

I guess it is a sign of getting old....or maybe my illness....but I find myself more and more thinking of the way "things used to be". My brain fills of images of people who passed through my life....relatives and friends.

Today I find rememberances (is that a word - well now it is, I just typed it!) of my grandmother....of what a strong, honorable, good person she was. How she lived her life with dignity and an abiding love of God. When she passed away a door to my past had closed forever. She was blessed with a knowledge of when her time was up and prepared herself for it (confession, making peace with all she knew)...and after she died I saw her in a dream (9 days later?) as a bride. Such was the type of woman she was.

I remember when we lived in Greece for a few years, she would help my mother when we awoke in the mornings. They would both wash our faces and see to our morning prayers. As she would rinse my face with her soft hands I would stick my tongue out to lick the water that was on them...I guess I was thirsty. Anyway this made her laugh.

I know that my life has had its ups and downs...and that my actions (or should I say REactions) to certain events have greatly grieved her (I firmly believe she looks upon us from where she is)...and for that I am sorry....truly sorry. What would HER reactions have been? Certainly light years from what mine were. Oh her disappointment in me must be great! And that is hard to bear.

So now I find myself trying to show her that I am not a total boob...that her lessons in my life have not gone wasted. I miss her, and I will always strive to make her proud of me.

May our lives be blessed with the dignity that would make our loved ones (living and dead) proud of us....

This is going to be one inter-reflective Lent...but then again, shouldn't they all be?

March 2...

2011-03-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today is the feast day of one of my most beloved Saints...the sweet, child-like, innocent St. Nicholas Planas! Oh how I love this Saint! Although all Saints are sparkling, this one is one of my favorite....I cannot read or think about him without tears springing into my eyes (like now).

Many years ago, a dear friend gave me a copy of this sweet Saint's biography. It was an old book (and from its looks, it may have been a discarded library book)....and I have treasured this book ever since! I pray that blessings shower down upon this friend...this angel who gave me this treasure....for it is priceless to me!

Go to this link http://www.serfes.org/lives/stnicholas.htm and read about him yourselves.....if you do not know him, learn of him....you will be so very glad you did!

May Fr. Nicholas' blessings and prayers be upon us all!

What Should Have Been a Nice Family Moment....

2011-02-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

Have I told you how much I LUUUUURVE spending time with my family? Oh I do, I do, I do! I really do!!! When I was single, I was mildly irritated if I had to attend an in-service on a Saturday. Back then, I spent a lot of time with my father....and that was nice too. But ever since I got married and had my bonus daughter in the bargain....well.....I find myself like other people.....I look forward to weekends with my fam....snowdays, long weekends, vacations....I just am so happy and content when the 3 of us are together....

This is why the events of this Saturday disturbed me so very much.

We three were running around getting some errands done (all of us together = great joy!) when we decided to stop by our mall and pick up some classroom candles from one of my favorite stores and grab a bite to eat at the food court. Daughter of House took care of me and got my lunch, then left with Man of House to get theirs.

While I was mixing my taco salad up I heard a crash just a little behind me. I turned around to see an elderly gentleman being choked by a 28ish year old woman!!!!!! Yes, you read it right....being choked. They both fell to the ground (with the man on the bottom) and his wife staring helplessly on.

Another man went up to her and told her, "Stop" while a friend of hers pulled her off....and then I guess took her away from the mall. The gentleman's wife went and stood up against an advertising pillar and fainted. One young mall employee helped the elderly man, who seemed confused by the whole thing (and did not fight back even a little bit), and several other people called Mall Security and the police.

I could not believe my eyes...to treat another human being like that....and an elderly one to boot! I was always raised to show the utmost respect to the elderly simply because their experiences in life and the fact that they have been alive for so long had earned them that respect....but this....this flew in the face of all I had been taught. Add to that that I have a special soft-spot in my heart for the elderly.....and I just could not take it anymore....so I did what I always do when I am angry....I started crying. Yup that's me!

In front of me was another woman who was feeding her 6 mos old child...and she started crying also....what a pair we made!

The police came and took statements....it seems that when the woman asked if she could have a chair from the table the elderly couple was sitting at, and was told yes. As she moved the chair, the elderly man told her she had hit his wife with the chair. She said no, he said yes....she said he spit in her face....and then the choking and falling began.

Now, my nature is to not get involved in such matters, but my conscience was bothered by this.....and my wonderful family gave me just enough of a push to get me to talk to one of the police officers. He took my name, address, date of birth, phone number, and statement (I even got to demonstrate the choke hold on Man of House - hey, the officer asked me to do that!), and then I went to talk to the elderly gentleman. He seemed so confused.... his concern was for his wife (who by now was awake and had her bruises photographed by the po-po). She had just been discharged from the hospital and was frail.

All this because one person could not even contemplate that they may have accidentally hit another person....because the words, "I'm sorry, I did not know..." or "I'm sorry, I did not mean...." could not be said. What a horrible thing to witness...and what a valuable lesson to learn!

May God help us all to be able to admit a mistake....to say "I am sorry". What a lesson to have shown in front of my face now that Lent is almost upon us.

To all the people I have hurt through known or unknown means, I ask for forgiveness.

May God bless us all.

Super Bowl XLV....again

2011-02-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

On my last blog about the Super Bowl I wrote about a tradition my father and I started....and true to that tradition, Daughter of House and I dropped off Man of House at his "play date" (complete with instructions on how to behave)....but prior to this celebration a few interesting things happened....things that added some that special flavor to the day...

Go back to Saturday....Man of House and Daughter of House volunteered at the "NFL Experience"...and while there they got me Troy Polumalo's autograph (BOO YAH!) and a Commemorative Photo Plaque (CA CHING!) ! This was more than I hoped for...and I certainly would have been happy with all that...really I would have.

But this morning I was at one of the churches we attend (we alternate between two Greek Orthodox Churches and would like to include the Church Christina attends eventually) when two women who had never been there before showed up with two little babies - a little boy of about 2 and a small baby. Now, one of these women looked familiar....and then something clicked in my wee, little brain....at first it was a tiny click....then it became bigger till I (in what I perceived in a cool and sophisticated way) looked again and realized that one of the ladies was Troy Polumalo's wife, his two children, and his mother-in-law. Yeah....ya read it right....

I turned s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y back around so as not to cause a scene or anything and even promised Man of House I would not bug her when I went back to use the restroom. And I kept my promise...until I was ready to enter the church and I saw that Troy's toddler was being a typical child and not letting his mommy enjoy church...ah such are the ways of little ones. So when she took him into the Narthex, I pointed out the "Children's Cry Room" and helped her get in there. I spoke to her briefly, and then left them both.

Now why have I just gone on and on about this? Yes, I admit I find Troy Polumalu nice to look at....he is hot....but there is a lot more to this guy.....a heck of a lot more. I have known about him for quite a while....I have always known about his deep faith in God, that he is (as those of us who are The Elder Ephraim's spiritual children) my Spiritual Brother in God via Fr. Ephraim....these things have moved me about this man....but what stood out in my mind was "Wow....this man travels every week during the season and he still finds where the nearest Orthodox Church is....!!! This really moved me...and got me to thinking. So I went back and re-read all the articles I read about him in the past...and they moved me too. This man lives by what my father would say, " It is not what your job brings to you, but what you bring your job".

Now I am thinking....about quite a few things.....I'll write about those in a later post...when I can actually put my thoughts into words. In the mean time I will leave you with some reading about the man who has greatly influenced me. Enjoy.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09032/945810-66.stm

Snow Days.......

2011-02-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Snow days, snow days....Oh I love snow days.....

This is now day 4 of the Great Texas Ice and Snow Montage here....and I am loving it.

It has given us time here as a family to just chill (Daughter of House was able to go in just once and the rest of the time she has been home with us).

Oh how nice....many things (not all) that needed to get done got done.....little things...things that just add up when they are not done into one giant pile of "Unfinished Stuff"....and now a few more are off that list!

As if that is not enough, I had plenty of time to hang out with my family or just read, read, read! Opportunities to just talk, laugh, share, and discover. The gentle closeness that comes from such moments is simply put, fantastic ! And the joy of just laying on sofa and enjoying a book....be it a new one (yes, I have one of those) or an old one (a series no less....a children's one!).

So, as I look around me (this is a difficult day with this illness) I am thankful to God for this little unexpected gift....a few days when things slowed down...several moments of just being.

The Facts of Life....

2011-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

....according to Daughter of the House....

The smallest show of affection, the tiniest snuggle, the teeniest giggle between Man of House and me brings about a loud commentary of "Eewwww" followed by "Gross, sexual stuff between old people" a variety of gagging noises, and a dramatic death scene.

"So do you think your generation invented 'it' ?"

"No....I KNOW we did not.....but none of this applies to me."

"Oh yeah, so how do you think you got here?"

"I was in a cabbage patch and a stork came and got me. It then took me to the hospital where I was labeled to go to the correct parents."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"So what about biology... scientific data....medicine?"

"That does not apply to me!"

This little theory is tantamount to the waving of a cape in front of a bull....it needs - no it BEGS - my attention. My solution? Little notes in her lunch referring to her as "Our Little Sperm and Egg Product"...phone calls whereby I say "I love you Our Sweet Chromosome Collection"....and messages
that begin with, "It's me, my little XX Creation...".

The reaction from Daughter? More gagging, more "eewwww's"

Oh, and the age of this errant child? 25...*sigh*

Super Bowl XLV

2011-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

I just L.O.V.E the Super Bowl. I look forward to it every year. I simply cannot wait for it....I count down the days till I hear "Super Bowl Sunday is here!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Why?

Is it the basic concept of of two powerful teams fighting it to the end?.....um, no.

Is it the delightful spectacle of men wearing skin-tight pants that follow each and every curve of rippling muscle?.....although tempting as that is - that would be a "no".

Is it some primitive need to see the human will go beyond what was thought possible to achieve a victory? Uh uh.

Is it the sweet taste of victory justly won by a valiant team? Nah...

Is it because I am a Cheesehead? Well, normally I would like for the Packers to win, but the Steelers have Troy Polamalu....and not only is he Greek Orthodox (yup, yah read it right!), but he is H.O.T.....he's on fi-yah!! (Not to worry, Man of House.....you will always be my real-life hottie).

It simply because of a tradition begun by my father and I many years ago. You see, Texas is a state that loooooooooves its football. The adoration borders on fanatical worship....seriously. And nothing beats this state in its zombie-like trance when the Super Bowl is here. Now, add to this the fact that this year the Super Bowl is in our state (about 5 min from where I work) and people here are practically in an orgasmic bliss. Yup that is how I would describe it. I'll bet there will be a lot of cigs lit after this event in the Lone Star State....people laying back asking, "was it good for you baby?"

So what is this tradition? Simply put, we go out to eat and then to some stores. Ah, but the beauty of this is that everything is empty....quiet....silent....almost ghost-like in its serenity. We even went to the mall (gasp!) which, for anyone who knows me, is something I desperately avoid. Yet, due to Super Bowl Madness, there I am!

Now that I am married and my father is in Greece, I celebrate in this manner with Daughter of House. As for Man of House? Well, he goes to his Cigar Club....sort of a "Day Care for Testosterone-Laden Individuals" - be it men or women. Daughter and I refer to his going to this place as his "Play Date". All we ask is that the people in charge there see to it that he is fed, watered, and shares his toys. We drop him off and several hours later we pick him up. I expect him to have a few stories to share of his play buds and a little project he has made...He looks forward to these excursions from the Estrogen Sea. Just like a little boy he is ready and waiting for me by the front door when it is time to go.....and barely stands still as I review our rules (1. You may not leave with anyone other than me. 2. You must take your turn on the Billiards and Indoor Golf game. 3. You may go back for as much food as you want, but don't overdo it. 4. You must remember to say "please" and "thank you". 5. You must remember to wash your hands after you go potty. 6. You must take your cell phone with you because I will call and check up on you).

Daughter and I will probably go out and catch some Indian food and then.....ah then....the town is ours....provided we stay away from anything that has a big-screen TV or men.

Believe me, that will be oooh soooo easy!

Yup, God bless the Super Bowl! I do so look forward to it! (me holding back a tear now....)

HAPPY 2011!!!

2011-01-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

May your 2011 be more wonderful than you could possibly imagine!

Chrstmas Carols....my version

2010-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside....the rain is falling (no snow - drats), and the spirit of the holidays moves me to sing....won't you join me? Pour yourself a cup of something and let's sing!

***********************************
(Sung to "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas")
It's beginning to look a lot like Jason,
everywhere he cooks;

As I sit here and blow my nose
from the cold I hold so close;

Wrapped from head to toe!
**********************************
(Sung to "Jingle Bells")
Cleaning up, cleaning up, cleaning up I must
I go from room to room
picking up and clearing dust!

Oh cleaning up , cleaning up, cleaning all the way,
My what fun to see
What I've discovered on the way!
**********************************
(Sung to "Jolly Old St. Nicholas")
Jolly handsome Jason-roo
Lean your ear this way
Please try to remember
What I'm going to say!

Christmas is upon us now
You darling, sexy man
And thank you for remembering
I'm a vege-ta-ri-an!
**********************************
(Sung to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas")
I got a food saver,
I got a food saver,
I got a food saver,

Leftovers all year!

No more tossing them,
No more tossing them,
No more tossing them,

For they will often re-appear!
********************************
(Sung to "The Little Drummer Boy")
"Come", I told him
pa rum pa pum pum

We got you a grill
pa rum pa pum pum

Upon it you can grill and broil too

You can clean it off with a swish or two
swish or two,
swish or two....

So to help you initiate it
I will let you make me a sand-oh-wich
*********************************

Now, doesn't that bring the warm feelings of the holiday close to your heart?
Mmmmm......I thought so.

Thanksgiving 2010...

2010-11-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

This wonderful day began with a simple (albeit lenten) breakfast, continued onto watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then the 2010 Purina Dog Show (the Irish Setter won, by the way), and ended with viewing Miracle on 34th Street (the Natalie Wood one). And during the whole time delicious lenten food was made, served and eaten. Phone calls, text messages, and emails were made/sent to those who could not be near, and reflections of all we have to be thankful for were expressed.

Yup, this has definitely been one of the best Thanksgivings in the whole of the life of me (as my first graders would say)!

I hope yours has been too!

7 years ago....

2010-11-07T07:40:00.000-08:00

We were joined in marriage....and it has been so blessed and fun!

Yeah, yeah....we have had our ups and downs...our ins and outs....our laughter and tears...but that is all part of growing up.....part of changing....and I would not trade a minute of it...not a second.

And so....we did what we do every year for our anniversary....we picked the Saturday closest to the actual date of our wedding and we go to the hotel where we had our reception and our first night together as husband and wife...and we enjoy their breakfast buffet...just like we did the morning after our wedding.

Then we take a walk and visit the room that held our celebration...we talk about what it looked like and all the fun everyone had...and we note the changes made in the building itself since then.

I love you Man of House....

Thanks for being the hand that holds the kite string when THIS kite flies off in a million directions all at once.

Thanks for making my breakfast, lunch, and coffee everyday so that I can sleep in and extra half hour.

Thanks for putting up with my mad desires for organization and color coordination.

Thanks for listening to all my songs (songs, by the way, that have me convinced we could be rich if only someone would "discover" me.)

Thanks for letting me put Santa Hats, Reindeer Horns, and Viking Horns on you at stores.

Thanks for tolerating my need to name e v e r y t h i n g...and then remembering what most of the things I named are (storage unit #1 is Armond Lintel, storage unit #2 is Thelma Lou, the car is ReeRee, etc.)

Thanks for no longer being shocked when I wear my wedding veil around the house at random times.

Thanks for working with my love of all things pickle.

Thanks for not making me a more serious person after we got married (much to my mother's dismay)

And now with this illness....well, all I can say is I could not have a better friend or help-mate.

It is nice growing old with the same person...and I hope we are around together for many, many years.....forgetting to wear our teeth....me tottering around in my (by then tattered) veil....and you cooking in your make-believe oven (since you won't be allowed to cook with heat anymore).

You are my best friend...my boo....and the love of my life.

Now, as we embark on the renovation of our house...I promise to make it easier for you...I promise to TRY and behave...

Hate...

2010-09-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah....I know, I know...."Hate" is a strong word. It is an ugly word. It is a word I try not to use unless I absolutely have to (I hope that is OK with you, Fr. Seraphim)....but in this case it applies.

Why?

Because that is how I feel about this damn illness of mine. It has taken so much from me....and left me so very, very tired....and dizzy.....and feeling as if I am two or three steps behind the entire human race.

Because it limits what I can and cannot do.

Because it numbs me.

Because it hurts.....mind-numbingly and breath-takingly hurts.

So I hate it. And I get angry at it. And at those moments I work harder to be normal...to not let it take away any more from me....because this is not how I want to live.....I am tired of it taking away from me.

I want to enjoy the life I have, the job I have, the family I have...and the changes that are coming my way.

First of all, I am going to be a Yiayia (Grandma) in April. Son of House is going to be a da-da....and I am so looking forward to that (Ah....sweet revenge)

And second, as I am writing this, Younger Brother of House is getting married. Yup...finally, he's taking the plunge....to a nice Ukrainian girl (the same section of Russia as my Grandmother--things have come full circle, no?)

But I am not at his wedding. I am not allowed to travel...not with this stupid illness as a travel partner.....not till "things have settled and there is a balance found between my meds and reaction." So I am not with my family now....not celebrating a major event in the "Tapestry of our Lives"....the only one not there. I could feel sorry for myself...and maybe I do....but I am so full of anger at this illness.....I hate it.

So I did what I could...I called him the day before and told him all the sisterly things I had been thinking....and told him I loved him....and how I knew he would make a good husband....and wished him as much joy, happiness, and laughter as I have in my own marriage...and laughed with him....and expressed how sorry I was that I could not be there (he was understanding - of course).

And then today....just moments before his big event, he took the time to text me and call me...that was his attempt to make me feel a part of this. We remembered old events and times....we laughed....and I told him I would always be here for him (I know he knows, I just wanted him to hear it)...and then let him go...to go and start another chapter in his life....to bring another member to our little family...to await the pictures that will be emailed to me.....

Have I told you how much anger I feel towards this illness? Have I told you how much I hate it? Because I do....I really do.

A New Year...

2010-08-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

My classroom is ready.....and a new year begins.

Eighteen new little faces looking at me for guidance....eighteen sets of parents looking at me with trepidation. "Relax", I want to tell these parents...."I will treat your little ones as if they were my own; I will be firm but fair; I will love them, I will encourage them; I will find what makes each one tick and I will let them use that to help them learn; I will aid them in discovering the joys of learning; I will keep them safe; I will give them an environment where they feel safe to make mistakes - and they will learn from these mistakes; I will aid them in finding appropriate social behavior".

How can I achieve this? Because I am a teacher. I can handle a room of 18 (or more) first graders. I can fight off Spiderman's webbings while teaching addition. I can tell if a little one is avoiding telling the truth, while maintaining a steady gaze on the rest of my class to make sure they remain on task. I can take 18 little people on a trip out of our city, maintain crowd control while at our destination, manage to have my kiddos set a good example for other children there, run an efficient bathroom-water line with an efficiency and safety that would make our military envious, and face my kids while at our destination yet still know what went on so that I can continue our lesson back in class. I can return back to our school exhausted after said excursion - with all the same kids I started off with.....and declare "Wasn't this fun? So... let's see where our next field trip will be!" I can stop either one, two, or a herd of kids from stampeding down our hallways with a look and an "ahem". I can guide learning over and above the 3 hour howling of a baby in the hallway directly outside our classroom. I can leap a silent e in a single bound. I can teach a child that I love them, but not his/her actions. I can put a band-aid on a boo-boo, re-braid hair, and search for a missing earring while helping my students discover animal adaptations.

Why do I do this? Because I am a teacher. Parents have entrusted me with the most important thing they have in their life. God has put me in this place and time to do His Will.

And so....another year begins.

Ch-ch-changes...

2010-07-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, third blog in one 24 hr period...can ya tell I cannot sleep? LOL

You may notice some changes on my blog page...so far I like them....but the header...that header....anyone have any suggestions on how to get it centered? Or make it wider?

It's gone....!

2010-07-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

I guess the thought of being assimilated into my life was too much for it....so it is gone....

*actually, I just changed backgrounds...tee hee

Question...

2010-07-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

What is this "photobucket" thingy on my blog page...it just showed up one day and decided to make my page its home. If it stays I will have to give it a name and communicate with it.....

Nice...nice...nice...

2010-07-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

So I wrote to you that I was back...and I wrote it a while back....but I had not been able to actually BE back...till now.

I rested, and rested, and rested this summer and I am feeling a little better.

My last visit to the Oncologist (never a good sign when you have one of those) gave me the results of all my pill-taking and blood-giving....and the news is good! My cells (my blood cells were considerably smaller than what they should have been) are at a better size and a better count. I'll take that. Glory be to God!

Now I am getting ready to teach a Title I Enrichment Camp during the first week of August. The Camp will be for 4 hours a day and will bring us some much-needed moolah. Glory be to God!

That is all for now. I know it is short and quick...but I am starting to tire out...(it is 11:22 pm and that is late for me now).

More to follow...and there has been quite a lot going on!

I have finally returned...

2010-07-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes....I have been gone...AWOL...MIA...for quite a while. My illness and a whole buncha other stuff contributed to one very tired Woman of the House.

No, nothing serious or horrible...just a lot of little things that hit all at once and left me bereft of energy. Now that nap time is part of my regularly scheduled programming, I plan to return to my blogging world...and to reading all of those who have emailed me inquiring about me, myself, and I....

Off to sleep....again.
Ciao

RIP Belle

2010-04-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This post, although sad, is also gross. Read at your own peril.

Another one of our fur-babies crossed over the Rainbow Bridge last Thursday, in what is the most gruesome and heart-wrenching methods I have yet witnessed.

Last Thursday we all came home from work and let the dogs out in the backyard. Then we went about our business changing our clothes. Suddenly we heard a loud whining bark and we rushed into the backyard. We thought maybe there had been an altercation among our dogs. We should have been so lucky. What we saw instead will be with us the rest of our lives.....so brutal was it. There was Belle with her head stuck under an opening in the fence.

As a hound, Belle was a slave to her nose. Once she had the scent of something she would "hunt it down" no matter how far she had to go. Many was the time we had to chase after her by car and on foot to bring her home. This time, this devotion to the scent would cost her dearly.

While she had been pushing herself along under the fence, she had pushed her skin off her from her neck to her tail. In effect, she had skinned herself alive. The skin just hung there, revealing muscle and fat.

Daughter of House could just keep repeating "Oh God....oh God....". Man of House struggled in his shock to pull Belle's head out, but could not. I was able to extract her while managing to not fully look at her injuries.

We carefully lead her into the car and we took her to the animal emergency clinic nearest to us. The techs there took our girl to the back to clean the wound and stabilize her. In the meantime, I went to the ladies room and threw up...again and again. While there we called Son of House (he is a vet tech in the Army) and we explained to him all that happened. At first, he told us that they should be able to fix up our baby, but when he learned of the extent of her injuries he grew silent. (Later on we found out he had called Daughter of House at home - she could not face going to the clinic and had actually thought this was fixable...so she thought she would see Belle later on... He told her that this was the worst case of it's kind he had heard of....that the back of dogs is not full of nerves, and thus can take a great deal of abuse, that the thick fur on a dog like Weeshah would have normally protected Belle, and that what she had been barking/whining about was her head being stuck.)

At the clinic we were told that after all the things that needed to be done to her (to the cost of about 2500.00) there was a chance she would not survive. It was then that the enormity of this hit us....we would be going home without Belle because of a "freak accident". This loving little creature of God, who had welcomed all babies into our family, who took better care of Molly's pups than Molly did, who simply ADORED Man of House (he had wanted a beagle since he was 10 years old) would not be returning home. I looked around at us and saw the blood on Man of House and on me....I remembered the smell in our car (EXACTLY like raw meat)....the pain in Man of House's eyes. I waited for the final decision to be made (she was, after all, his baby) and listened quietly while he told them she was to be put down and that we wanted to be there for it (for which they charge extra. Nice)

Belle was brought to us covered in a blanket. We told her we loved her, gave her kisses on her head, and held her. For her part she just looked at us with those beagle eyes of hers as if to say, "I'm sorry. Can we go home now?"....and then into her veins went two drugs....one that would put her to sleep and one that would stop her heart.....and very quietly, this wonderful and loving creature slipped out of our lives.

And that was it. We brought her home in a bag to go into a freezer and await Ronnie, a gentle man who has become a friend of our family, to come and pick up her body for a separate cremation and return it to us in a box (that way we know for sure she will not end up in commercial dog food. Didn't know that?...well go on line and read about it...but that is another story).

We went home to clean up the mess in the backyard, to change our clothing, and to look around at the empty food bowl, bed, and towel that all proclaimed "We are Belle's".

So long Savannah Belle E. Button Hamilton DuBois.....now you are over the Bridge and all the pains and scars of your former abused life (before you came to us) are gone....run free girl...follow your nose and know that you were so very loved here.

Pascha 2010...

2010-04-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Albanian Krishti u Ungjall Vertet Unjal!
Arabic Al Masieh Qam! Haken Qam!
Bulgarian Hristos Voskrese! Vo Istina Voskrese!
Castilian Cristo ha Resucitado! En Verdad ha Resucitado!
English Christ Is Risen! Truly He Is Risen!
French Le Christ est Ressuscite! En Verite Il est Ressuscite!
Georgian Kriste agsdga! C'esmarit'ad agsdga!
German Christus ist Erstanden! Er ist Wahrhaftig Erstanden!
GREEK Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
Italian Cristo `e Risorto! Veramente `e Risorto!
Latin Christus Resurrexit! Vere Resurrexit!
Romanian Hristos a Inviat! Adevarat a Inviat!
Russian Khristos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Spanish ¡Cristo ha resucitado! ¡En verdad ha resucitado!
Swahili Kristo Amefufukka! Kweli Amefufukka!
Ukranian Khristos Voskres! Voistinu Voskres!

Any way you say it the message is the same....and the world has not been the same since.....

May the blessings of our Resurrected Lord abide with you and yours always.

We wait....

2010-04-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

the baking has been done (23 tsourekia - many to be given away), the cooking (one more leg of lamb - for all those co-workers who requested some), the eggs have been died, my Paschal table runner has been finished (made it all by myself!), the decorations have been put out (front entrance way, guest bathroom, dining room, and kitchen), the lantern for bringing home the Holy Light has been prepped, our Paschal Baskets have been assembled....and we wait....we wait to leave our house in silence with hearts full of gratitude that we have been allowed by GOD to celebrate His Son's Glorious Resurrection once again this year....we wait to hear the Wonderful News of Eternal Life for those of us who are the lowliest sinners and betrayers....we wait of the Joy we will bring into our home when we return...

It is quiet...and we wait.

What's Cooking, oh Man of House? FLAOUNES!

2010-03-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes...Flaounes will be a'cookin' here at our home....those heavenly-sent golden pillows full of love, eggs and cheese that Cypriots around the world only make for Pascha....mmmmm!!

Come with me to the kitchen where Man of House is getting ready to create this year's masterpieces...

Woman of House: Well hello there Man of House...are you ready to take us on a tour of your latest culinary skills?

Man of House: Why, yes I am...however, I must point out to you that some ingredients or proportions are family secrets....so I cannot reveal too much about what I do...suffice it to say that the results will be wonderful! Let's begin...

WH: So what is in this large metal bowl?

MH: This is a combination of several cheeses....I spent several days drying them and then grating them.

WH: Can you divulge the cheeses?

MH: Some kefalotiri, kefalograviera, mizithra, haloumi, and feta. The proportions are a family secret.

WH: Ah....I see. These are all Greek cheeses...yes?

MH: Yes...and as you know, haloumi is from my father's island Cyprus.

WH: Now what is going to happen?

MH: I am using a colander to make dry mint smaller and to get any twigs out of it.

MH: Into the cheese mix I put in the mint and several eggs.

WH: How many eggs? How much mint?

MH: I don't count the eggs...I just put enough in to make the mixture moist. And as for the mint....I would guess about a cup goes in...I don't measure that either.

WH: My oh my....that's a lot of eggs!

MH: Hey! Since these are only made and eaten at Pascha, who cares how many eggs? This is a celebration!

WH: Sorry...sheesh...never come between a Cypriot man and his flaounes! Moving right along...what is next?

MH: Another secret ingredient...and don't ask what it is...I won't tell you, that's what makes it a secret.

WH: Would I do that?

MH: Oh yes you would...you are always asking about things that don't concern you...and then when you don't get an answer you like - or any answer at all - you make one up...and a whole story to go with your "answer"...

WH: Let's leave personalities out of this....just tell us what you are doing now...

MH: I am breaking up an egg which I will use to brush the top of the flaounes.

WH: This reminds me...I am really glad that I have had my "boob-squish" this year...I really hate getting those things but when your doctor says....

MH: (clearing throat)....now I use a fork to break the yolk and get it all creamy

MH: Now before you go off on another tangent I will continue by getting a big bowl of dough that I had prepared several hours ago.

WH: For those of you who do not know, Man of House bakes the family bread too...so this was just "par for the course" for him...

MH: I punch down the dough and get it ready...

WH: Ready for what?

MH: A date...what do you think? Why, oh why do you keep interrupting me...you do it all the time!

WH: What have I told you about personalities? Please continue...

MH: Then I flour my working area and my rolling pin, and get a piece of dough. I roll it out...

MH: And then I put several spoonfuls of my cheese mix on top. I make sure I get the goodness close to the edge of the dough.

WH: It appears that Man of House is dabbing some water along the edges of the dough and is now folding it into a long pillow-like structure...

MH: A fork is then used to further close the "pillow", it is moved to a tray with other flaounes, and brushed on top with egg.

MH: Then sesame seeds are sprinkled on top

MH: When the tray is full, then I pop them into the oven....

WH: You mean an oven is not just for storage???

MH: (giving Woman of House a smoldering look)...no.

WH: Um....are you crying now?

MH: No, I just had something in my eye....where was I...oh yes, and when they are done I take them out and...voila! There you are!

WH: And there you have it...one more delectable, delicious goody for our Paschal celebrations!! Till next time....Kali Anastasi! (May you have a Good Resurrection Service / Celebration!)

A New Idea....

2010-03-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am blessed. Yes, blessed. Beyond blessed. Is there a word for that? Nevertheless, I am beyond blessed...in so many ways.

One of my biggest blessings is with a husband who just loves, loves, LOVES to cook. And since one of the duties of a spouse is to make the other happy, who am I to deny my hubby so much happiness (I am also kind - remember that)? So I let him cook....and then do the Dance of Cleanliness in the kitchen behind him.

It is based on this delirium that I give my husband (I am also a good wife - remember that too)that I am going to create a segment in my blog titled "What's Cooking, Oh Man of House?"....what a jaunty little title - no?

The premier episode of this segment begins today...as in, right now....and it will focus on one of Man of House's recent cooking feats. The cooking of the traditional Easter Lamb.

Ah, Easter Lamb....the mere words conjure up images of Pascha in the Motherland...the expectations....the anticipation....the traditions....I have actually spent Easter in Greece, but it was so long ago...

This year we decided that in order for us to have Easter Lamb AND have a relaxed Man of House (since he also has a job) he would partially cook the lamb during our Spring Break, freeze it, and then finish cooking it on Pascha Day.

Woman of House: So....Man of House....are you ready for this?

Man of House: Yes

WH: Tell us what you are doing now....

MH: I am prepping the lamb by putting it on a metal plate, rubbing it with good Greek Olive Oil (NO, not Italian....if you look on Italian Olive Oil cans chances are that it has a good deal of Greek Olive Oil in it. Why? I don't know! I DO know that Greece is the only country that does not have to import any olive oil...so what you see titled on the can is what you get! And besides, Greek Olive Oil has a good "kick" to it!), rubbing course Mediterranean Sea Salt, and then cutting small slits into it. Into each slit a little love must go...and in this case, this little love is garlic rolled in salt and oregano.

WH: Now what is going on?

MH: I am putting the lamb onto one of my BFFs....my rotisserie...and no you cannot touch it...you use everything as if it were a hammer...do you remember my pipe wrench?...or what USED to be my pipe wrench? Hmmm???

WH: I have no idea what you are talking about....now, let us to stick with the interview.....

MH: After the lamb cooks for a pre-set time I remove it from the rotisserie and let it cool.

WH: Ooooooo....Aaaaaaa.

MH: I save all the drippings to use later for the potatoes.

MH: I will do this one more time with the other lamb we bought and when each one cools off, I will mummify it in aluminum foil and slap it into freezer...where it will wait to make it's debut.

WH: What about the drippings?

MH: They will go into a plastic bag and await Pascha also....

WH: Well, that's that then! What is next for you?

MH: It is time for the traditional Flaouna baking....

WH: And that, dear reader, is my signal that this interview is a wrap, and that it is time for the Dance of Cleanliness to begin. Till next time when we will interview MH on Flaouna baking....ta ta!

Getting ready...

2010-03-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

...for PASCHA!!!!

For Greek Orthodox (and Russian, Serbian, etc....) Pascha (Easter) is T.H.E H.O.L.I.E.S.T Church Holiday of the Ecclesiastical Year....and in my household it is as it has been in my mother's house and her mother's house....as we get nearer to Holy Week (the Week Before Pascha) things take on a frantic tone. Things are cleaned, organized, and polished....

To that end, allow me to tell you about two of my newest best friends. The first is Big Sprig. She is a contractor wet-dry shop vac. Pictures of her will follow later....suffice it to say she is 16 gallons, 6 hp in a container that says, "Love"
I received Big for Christmas this year. She is a dream come true...I just love her...and I KNOW she loves me. I defy any any dust, fur, dander, paper, clothing, insect to come near her....things are taken by her never to be seen again...she takes care of these things for me. Nice.

My other BF is this little product: La's Totally Awesome All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner and Degreaser.

Listen close now....I do not tout the virtues of items on my blog...but this gem...well this gem does the work of 409 (you know, the cleaning product) but for less than the price. I get this little product at Dollar Tree (ya heard right!) AND it is to be diluted!!! So, in fact, this costs me 0.50 for each bottle of this super, duper cleaner!!! This little friend stands empty now....she has given her all for The Cause....but not to worry...I will not abandon her now....she served me well and I will take care of her too....she will be refilled soon....and she will rest...and lay in wait for our next covert cleaning operation...

Now, we are on "Spring Break" here at my school district....and this works out well for me because I have been cleaning, organizing, and polishing to my heart's desire......

hall closet - check
master bedroom closet - check
two curio cabinets in living area - check
detailed furniture polishing of furniture in said living area - check-a-reno
detailed furniture polishing of furniture in dining area - check-a-roni
cleaning out and re-organizing items in cupboards of aforementioned areas -
check-a-loopiti
detailed cleaning of bathrooms - tra-la-la-la-check
cleaning out and re-organizing items in cabinets of said bathrooms - ch-ch-ch-
check
re-organizing and cleaning of hall closet - the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-
of-check (sing with me!)
re-organizing and cleaning of master bedroom closet - rock-a-bye-check
re-organizing my dresser drawers - you-aint-nothing-but-a-hound-check
re-organizing Man of House's armoir - check-a-lation
coming up with, and building some shelving for Man of Houses above-mentioned
armoir - mine-eyes-have-seen-the-glory-of-check
detailed vacuuming with Big Sprig (called the Dance of Cleanliness) - oh-behave-
check

As you can tell by now (and if you know me) I just LOVE, ADORE, GET WEAK AT THE KNEES at the thought of organizing and cleaning....OMG....sometimes I just cannot stand it!!! So by now, I am delirious....my head is just swimming...I am swooning...there I am....all swooned out! Aaaak!

So thank goodness that tomorrow is a Major Church Holy Day (The Great Canon of Andrew of Crete), so that I may rest in a stupor....and attack our kitchen Friday.

And all this will be done before March 25....the Annuciation of the Virgin Mary AND Greek Independence Day....WOO HOO!

I have to go now and lay down...this is just too much for me....all this cleaning, and organizing, and polishing....EEEEEE!

------------------

Since the original day of this post...

organizing of Man of House's desk - check-a-licious
re-organizing of Son of House's closet - check-hi-ya

Order has been brought to chaos.....tranquility reins supreme....all's quiet on our front...off to do some baking now!

Moments of love....

2010-03-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

In my classroom there is love....love of reading, love of writing, love of math, love of chair, and love for each other....

Often as I move around and check on the progress of my little ones I feel from behind little arms wrap around me, a tight squeeze, and the words "I love you".

My response? "I love you too sweetie (or love-bug, or baby, or darling, or my love...). Experience has taught me that if I do not respond then the hug goes on and one till I do....however, sometimes even when I respond the hug goes on and on and on...so I just wait for it to subside on its own.

Several days ago I was walking around and monitoring work being done when I spotted a piece of paper on the floor. As I made my way to it, I felt a hug from behind. "I love you" was exchanged and each of us continued with our work. Ah, there's that paper....I get to it and bend down to pick it up...when I felt it...you guessed it.....a hug.

But this was not ordinary hug....a little head was leaning against...against...against my posterior....and little arms were wrapped tightly around me....so I waited...and waited...and waited....but there was no change.

I started to pull forward and walk, hoping that this would end this most unusual moment...but to no avail. The only change was that the little head on my...butt is moving side to side...and a little voice said, "You smell so good!" Wonderful.

What to do now? Do I just walk around like this till my little hugger stops? Do I go to a wall and scrape this little person off me? Do I stand up and risk loosing this pip between my cheeks?

Finally a thought came to mind and I simply said to my little love-bug, "You know I love hugs from all of you, but this one is hurting me"...and lo, it ended...just like that...it was over. Phew!

As I sloooowly got up (oh my aching back!), another (and more frightening thought popped into my head...."jeez kid, one good piece of gas from me and you would not have to worry about grades...I could have literally blown you into second grade!"

Another moment in public education....

Who Dat gonna win the Super Bowl?!?

2010-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

I am not really a sports fan. Actually, I am not a sports fan at all (except for curling....oh, how I just ADORE that sport)....ask any member of my family. They will tell you, "Nina is just not a sports fan...except for curling. My, oh my, how she ADORES that sport!

That does not mean I do not know about sports. My knowledge of some sports is phenomenal, if I do say so myself...and I do...Take today's Super Bowl Game....there I was giving Man of House play-by-play information whenever he was in the kitchen getting our Super Bowl munchies.

Yes...yes...yes...there I was doing just that...."Hey J, this player just caught a fumble on the free-throw line and now he's taking it in, babe!" (Ya gotta use the word "babe" when you talk sports...I really don't know why. But there was little ole' me making these daring announcements. He would just stare at me (with what I am sure is a look of incredulity...thinking to himself..."How does she know that much about sports and I never knew it???!")

But there is more to this story than an opportunity to brag of my athletic comprehension...no, dear reader, there is more...How much more? Well at least two more points...

The first point being that this was my first ever Super Bowl party....heck, it was the first ever Super Bowl game I had ever watched. I gotta admit, it was pretty good viewing. The game was good. The commercials were so darn funny. And the Saints played their hearts out. They won because they were good, not because the other team made mistakes....they really played.

Will I see any more Super Bowl games?...probably not. You see, I have another tradition that supercedes sports...except maybe for curling (oh, how I ADORE that sport!). It is one my father and I started, and now I am sharing it with my daughter. More on that in another post.

The second point was that my younger brother just LOVES LOVES LOVES New Orleans....he loves everything about that city, from the food, to the music, to the coffee and benyes, to the architecture, to the funerals. Ever since it was decided that the Saints were going to make it to the Super Bowl, he has been inserting "Who Dat" into every conversation we have. (What does "Who Dat" mean? Well now, I don't rightly know.) He refers to our New Year's Bread (known as Vasilopita) as King's Cake...after all, he reasons that King means Vasilia (from which Vasily and Basil come from) and Cake means Pita...and they both have a gift inside them...He has even tried to teach my mother that saying, as in "Zuto to Who Dat Ethnos!"....translation - "Long live the Who Dat Nation!"

This brother also lives in Greece...so for a good part of tonight we were connected. We laughed and talked, and he told me (once again) of his love for all things New Orleans (he truly does - it was 8 hours ahead where he was at but he stayed up to watch the game!) It was nice....it was like he was here with me.

The only glitch came about when I showed off my knowledge of football. I know, I know....pride is a bad thing....but I just lost my head. When I described to him some of the plays I saw he told me, "How come is it whenever you talk sports I get an ulcer?"

Jealousy is SUCH an ugly thing.

Coming to tearms....

2010-02-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

It has been now several weeks since I found out about my "condition".....talking about it has helped....as has writing about it. From time to time I go back and read what I wrote and it brings it all back to me. Yeah, it's real...yeah, it's there.

For the most part I am at peace with this...it is what it is. But there are moments when I am angry....until I think of a few things...

As one of my kind readers wrote,"SOMETHING is going to get us in the end anyway, at least you have the privilege of knowing something probably 90% of people in the world wouldn't know about themselves if they had it because of where they live and their lack of good health care."...and he is right...so that is, I guess, a good thing.

Moreover, I remind of myself of a request I made to God. See, when my father was sick with pneumonia and it did not look to good for him, I prayed very hard...and even made a request that God shave some years off of my life and give them to my father. I know...I know....you cannot bargain with God....but I just could not imagine my life without my father in it, and I was afraid, and so I prayed, and at the time I meant it....and if I had to do it over again, I would do it just the same. I don't regret it. But...the teensiest, tiniest, itty, bitty thought that maybe...just maybe this is what my condition stems from gives me a H U G E grin on my face....and all this gives me a warm fuzzy in my heart.

My husband does not know that such thoughts would enter my little ole' brain...I have a feeling he would not be happy about it all...but I think that he does not realize that I would think such a thing in re to him, our kids, my brothers, my nephews, his mom, my mom...and I guess that's it...

Now after all this thinking I (a) have a headache (thinking is not something I do that often - duh!), and (b) continue this painful process by going further and berating myself for even remotely entertaining the idea that one human could influence what God has ordained to happen...the nerve! At such moments I get out my King Tut headgear and wear it. I mean, after all, if I am going to act like a Pharaoh I might as well look the part.

Eventually I catch a view of myself in one of the mirrors in the house as I go about my business cleaning, organizing, etc. etc. with my "Tut Hat" on and I laugh...(Pharaoh head accoutrements and prescription eye-wear do not go together by any stretch of the imagination)....and I thank God that this has given me an opportunity to appreciate the silly, stupid things as well as the profound.

Now, I wonder where I can find a purse that just screams "ancient Egyptian ruler"???

Fear, anger, fear, disbelief, fear....

2010-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

It all started with my yearly trip to the OB-GYN....and routine blood work. The doctor's office called with a request for more blood as my red and white cells were a little on the high side, as was my platelet count.

OK. No problem. I probably had a minor infection somewhere on planet Nina. So more blood was given. And although the counts had gone down, they had not gone down enough....I met with my OB GYN....and peppered him with questions...the first one being "Do I have the big C?" He was not worried but just to be sure I was going to be referred to a Hematologist. Sheesh.

This doctor was a nice guy who have me a full exam (and was incredulous at how tickle-ish I am) and ordered some blood tests done. By now I am looking as if I had been used as somebody's pin-cushion. Blood sugar was low so I had to go back for another blood test....although I did offer to come in the next time I cut myself shaving and thus save myself a needle...this offer, although kindly given, was denied. Worry, worry, worry.

Then came the dreaded meeting to review everything...was I OK? Mentally I have always known I was beyond hope, but physically I have always enjoyed pretty good health. Other than my own, personal collection of fat and cellulite, I had always been healthy.

This time my luck was up. Damn.

"You are healthy" came the doctor's initial statement. He really could have just stopped there. He could have just said that and sent me home. But he didn't. It appears that my body has betrayed me...and although it is far from the perfect body, it is mine. I have gotten to know it...we have spent many years together and have been through a lot...I was comfortable with it (for example, there is an unspoken understanding that my fat not only keeps me warm, but it keeps my pants up. See? Working fat. That's what I have....and this is SUCH a good symbiotic relationship for us. A woman and her fat...so simple yet so complete.)...but now....now well, let's just say that the doctor's mouth was moving but I did not hear anything....he had to go over the same thing again and again...."you have a rare type of disease...Myeloproliferative disorder....it is a disease of the bone marrow....it is third cousin to leukemia....the type of MPD you have Essential Thrombocythemia (ET)...your bone marrow is producing too many red blood cells...to many white blood cells...your red blood cells are small....platelets are at a high count....got to lower them to prevent stroke....you have low iron...blah blah blah blah blah..."

Fear...."third cousin to leukemia?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Can it turn into leukemia? There is a small chance. Will this kill me? Your weight has a better chance of doing that (smart-ass doctor). Will it ever go away? Most likely, no. You mean I'll be on medicine the rest of my life? Yes. Is it the big C? No.

Anger...stupid bone marrow...stupid, stupid bone marrow. I hate you. You have betrayed me. You have turned against me. You are a traitor. Please don't do anymore bad things. I really don't hate you. I am just angry with you for now.

Fear...."THIRD COUSIN TO LEUKEMIA!!!!!???!!!"

Disbelief....what causes this? Exposure to chemicals...like petroleum, oil, gas....well that let's me off the hook. You see, I have never been exposed to those things...so this might be a mistake, right? No. It may be hereditary. You mean other members of my family may have this? They might.

By now I must have looked dazed....the doctor wheeled himself over to me and started using flow-charts.

One of the results of having this condition is kidney stones. Now, although I have never experienced these little joys, my younger brother has. Last year they removed one from his kidney the size of a lima bean (he has it saved to show me - cool huh?) Yeah, you can guess where my mind is going with this now....does HE have this condition also? Oh geez...I gotta call my parents and share all this information with them...and insist he get his blood checked.

Fear....

I call my parents....and folks, this was the hardest phone call I have had to make in my life to date. My dad takes it like...like...well like a doctor. He is calm, cool, and wants to know all the facts. My mother...well she is a different story. She is scared, upset....and has a keen insight as to why my iron count is so low...."you need to stop this phase of not eating meat and eat meat....once a week...now DO IT!!!" Leave it to mom to put things in perspective....a phase....one that I have been in for nearly 2 decades...that's almost 20 years mom. "Stop playing doctor with yourself and do this. I will be checking on you now". Nice.

So now I am on medication...and I have to be careful of so many things....one of them being to be careful not to bruise...this could lead to blood clots...and that would not be a good thing. Since my blood is also thinned now, I have to be careful of bleeding... and for once in my life I am COLD! (gotta admit, I am enjoying that). I mean, here I am...the person who was always HOT...always lowering the AC....always calling in and having the temperature in my classroom lowered....always in shorts till February...now I am finally COLD! What an interesting feeling!

I have to admit...I do feel better in one way....my iron supplement is BOO YAH! I have not felt this well is so long....so I cannot possibly have this disease...right?

But alas, I do...as evidenced in the meds I take for it. I move slower now and I am always looking around me once I get to a "stopping point" ...and I eat meat more often (I simply cannot lie to my Mommy)...blek...yucko...gross....but Man of House has been so wonderful....he makes sure he shows me that it is organic and had a humane life before it was...it was...."removed from life".

And the good thing is that we caught this early...very, very early....a matter of a year between one good and one not-so-good blood test. Thank you Dr. OB GYN.

Puppy love...

2010-01-02T18:22:00.001-08:00

I read somewhere that new life in a house close to a new year is a sign of future prosperity and blessings. I thought of this when Molly's little ones were born on December 17, 2009....because on that date we got a refund check we were not expecting, I got paid (teachers in AISD get paid on the last business day of the month - except before Christmas Break when they get paid on the last Fri. of school...and the 17th was a Thursday), and Man of House got paid (we did not expect that one either)....

Here are some more pics of the little ones as they grow....

Pretty little pups, all in a row....

Pretty little pups, see how they grow....

Pretty little pups, getting booby juice...

Sorry this one is so dark....my bad...Christinaaaaaaa, where are you and your majical photographicly-inclined phalangies????

I feel so...ooooolddd!

2009-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, oh boy...oy....I feel so old...

And what is one of the first things to go as one ages??? Hmmm? Can you guess? EYESIGHT!!! That is what is one of the first things to go...

Case in point....

Man of House and I were looking at Molly's pups this morning....now please remember that we have been handling these little creatures for almost 2 weeks....12 days to be exact....and please remember that in my last post I wrote that "...this is the only boy in the group..."....

Anyway, back to this morning...there we are...holding on the the biggest pup Kalli named "Diva". We turn her over on her back and see two tiny lumps on her.

"What's that?" asks Man of House.

"I don't know. Maybe it is her belly button", says I.

"Then what is that?"

"Oh dear, maybe it is a hernia of some sort. I know animals have belly buttons too." (Actually they are usually a small hairless area on the tummy...sometimes it even looks like a little bald bump - as in the case of Molly).

We both lean in to look at the wee one....and then realize that "Diva" is not a SHE...but a HE!!!

I had been tickling what I had thought was a belly button...

Excuse me now...I have to go scrub, disinfect, and hose down my hand....gagh!

Here they are....

2009-12-27T13:05:00.000-08:00

....pics of the pups....bad pics....fuzzy bad pics....oh Christina, where art thou????!!!!

OK....here goes....

This is "baby daddy":

This is proud momma and babies....

Here are some of the babies:

One of the little girls...I cannot tell them apart in these pics...Kalli can...

This is the only little boy in the group...the rest are girls...he is the runt of the bunch and thus the smallest...so consequently he is one my favorites...

Another of one of the girls...

Now our conversations go like this at home....

"Kalli has anyone shown interest in any of the pups?"

"Yeah, three people have asked about them." (Oh good...I want to keep the two smallest ones!)

"What have you decided?"

"I can't decide...I may want to keep all of them."

Oy vey!

As promised....

2009-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

....here is the sequel to my earlier post....

It all began when one my former student's mom called us to let us know she had been on the look-out and had found a long-haired chihuahua for Man of House. (This lady has found many of our current and past pets for us before.)This little guy was going to be taken to the pound if a home for him was not found....so this is where we come in.

Shaggy (the name his former owner had given him....Shagford Austin Nebulus Pike the name we gave him) is a very, very, quiet and cute black and white long-haired Chi. However, he was "in tact" (and still is for that matter). We were planning to take him to visit Dr. Snip-snip when Molly (Kalli's Dog -- a Rat Terrier-Chihuahua mix) went into heat. We kept them apart as best we could, but as in Romeo and Juliet, love (or rather lust on Shaggy's part) won out.

Now, for anyone who has ever witnessed dogs mating, something known as a "tie" happens....after the initial copulation, the male's and female's "privacy parts" (as my first graders call them) swell and the pair are "tied together" till the "parts" un-swell....this can last anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes. During this little event, the male swings his front legs around and thus the two are posterior to posterior....

To us, who had not ever witnessed dog's mating, this was a comical shock. A shock because it was so...so....so unusual (God bless Google) and comical because Molly is several inches taller than Shaggy...so his rear legs were about 2 inches off the ground. This must have been Molly's first sexual act since she yelped the entire time and tried to run away from Shaggy. As Molly ran, she dragged poor Shaggy behind her....and every time she turned a corner, Shaggy's head was banged against a wall or a door jamb....by the time he was able to extract himself from her his little eyes were just a'swrilin' in his head.

At first we hoped that Molly would not be "in the family way"...but alas, we were wrong. By last Wednesday (12.16.09)she was walking like all pregnant women I have seen walk. She could not sit, she could not lay down, she just could not get comfortable....when we came home from work Thursday, Kalli called us into her room because there were 2 puppies on her bed....actually there were 6 teenie tiny creatures on it! ( one was dead but she was keeping it next to her and was trying to keep it warm -- it's body was already cold). After the initial shock, we cleaned and sterilized her bed and the entire room, and we made the new little family a bed of their own. We also bought a small heater for Kalli's room to give it some extra heat for the wee ones.

Molly is a good mommy, and the room does not smell one bit...in fact it smells like clean cotton and a little like bleach (two of my most favorite smells in the world).

Now Molly has the look of all new mommies....whenever we come into the room to look at her babies, her eyes just plead with us..."please don't wake the babies...I just got them to sleep!

**pics to follow soon!

Into each life....

2009-12-22T19:57:00.001-08:00

....little surprises must fall....and that is what has happened to us. The sounds of pitter patter will soon be filling this house....in about 3 weeks.

What is the surprise, you may ask. Ah...you will just have to wait....

What's that? You want a clue? OK...it has nothing to do with me...that's your clue....

Till next time....and I promise not to wait so long before I write...I know, I know...I have been negligent in that....but the pills...remember? Now I am used to them (for the most part)so my writings will be more frequent...

OK? Am I forgiven? Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving....

2009-11-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

...to one and all!!

Sorry I have not been blogging lately, but God has sent some challenges in my life and the patience to deal with them. Oh, not to worry.....just some health issues. High blood pressure and high cholesterol have put me on meds for the time being...these put me T O S L E E P !!! Once I take them I have approx. 37 minutes before I am O U T.

On the one hand it gets very irritating that I hope to stay up and blog...but on the other hand I sure do get a good night's sleep!

Anywho....just a short blog to wish all a wonderful Thanksgiving! I, personally have so much to be grateful for and try to make sure to God that I say "Thank you" as often as I can.

More on all that later in another post....right now my meds await as does my bed.

May you all be as blessed as I am...and that is pretty darn blessed!

Placing my trust...

2009-11-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

I have always believed you can trust a prune.....but now with this new medicine I have been given I have found that my trust is now shifted to tomatoes.

'Nuff said.

NO Day!

2009-10-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

Now I know you all are wondering what is that ....so I will give you a brief summary.....During the time of WW II, Mussolini wanted to impress Hitler with his military machine....so he told the Greek Prime Minister that he wanted to invade Greece. Metaxas (the Greek PM) stated No. So Italy invaded with 2x the men and then Italy was beaten back to Albania.

This was the FIRST allied victory during WWII and many historians believe that this event forced Hitler to delay his invasion of Russia and go help out il Duce (Mussolini). This delay forced Hitler to invade Russia at a later time and thus face the harsh Russian winter and a defeat at the Battle of Moscow.

Today, parades and celebrations occur in Greece...and on one of the mountains facing Italy, the Greek Word for NO (OHI) is in 35 (+/-) ft letters....tall enough to be read from Italy...

As a side note...Some historians credit the Greeks' fierce resistance to the later German paratrooper landings during the Battle of Crete with convincing Hitler that such attacks cost too many German lives. The from-the-air invasion of Crete was the last attempt by the Nazis to use this technique, and the extra resources required to subdue Greece drained and distracted the Third Reich from its efforts on other fronts.

My parent both were growing up in Greece during WW II (and later the Greek Civil War) with my father fighting on the side of the crown during the latter. Both of them went through hell during those years and remember it all vividly.

At our house, we are now living on cement because Man of House did not want the old shag carpeting anymore...so he pulled everything up. Now we can never agree on what to cover our floors....thus we have been living on cement for approx. 4 years. When my parents came to visit us they both walked in the house and just looked down at our floor. My mom stated, "Wow, we lived like this during the war!"....yup, we've come a long way, baby....

Feeel the love!

2009-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

My classroom is a Looooove Pit.

"I love you" is something that comes up again and again....something my little ones express to me frequently. Warm fuzzies just reign supreme in our First Grade room.

Sometimes these confidences comes in little notes shyly given to me...other times the phrase just pops out...and almost always it is accompanied by a hug (unexpected though it is!)

Do you just feel the love? Can't you just touch it? ...breath it in?

My little Water-and-Restroom Gestapo is one of my more frequent huggers. "Every time I finish something I am going to hug you!" he yells and then charges towards me.

This is followed by my little Cusser's hugs.

Today, my King of the Timers (aka Water and Restroom Gestapo) came and gave me a hug...and let his little head just lay on my shoulder. Since I was just sitting at my back-of-the-room desk (aka Milicent) I let him remain there. I just continued with my work and he remained where he was.

And then....ever so softly I heard the soft sound of a child snoring....before I gently woke him up I thought, "It doesn't get any better than this in my profession".

Longhorns triumph again!!!

2009-10-18T06:34:00.001-07:00

WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!

Those wonderful, gifted, and fantastic Longhorns beat those despicable OU whatever-they-are's!

Why to go 'horns!

Now for those of you outside of Texas, this sounds foreign...but for those of us who bleed burnt orange and white....well, it is a different story. Not that I am a football fan by any means...it's just that I love UT (THE University of Texas). Although I went to a local branch of the UT system my heart is with those rockin' & rollin' Longhorns (from THE University of Texas). Aaaand although I normally don't go on and on about those 'horns, I have a co-worker (not on my team - Thank You God!) whose son-in-law attended that school...she is the kind of person who likes to out-do everybody around her...from how much money she has to how big her children's house is...to where she goes on vacation...to pointing out to me that I did not go to THE University of Texas but to a branch of it over hear....ya know the kind I mean. Aaaaand for the most part I ignore her....I don't even mention this game in front of her....really I don't. But you can bet your bottom dollar that if the situation was reversed, she would make snide remarks for the next few days....

Sooooo, I am grateful to my 'horns (from THE University of Texas) for giving me some peace and quiet from this person...SIGH...THAT is my interest in football...sad but true.....

Jobs, jobs, jobs for all....

2009-09-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

I believe in fostering a "Learning Family" environment in my classroom. Towards that end I give many of my students a job in our class. This seems to please the little ones.....no job is too small. Each job is viewed as something special.

One of the students in my class is...is....let's just say he is a pip. I just love him so much. He is smart, funny, and is in possession of a really great sense of humor. Sadly, his family life is not the most peaceful environment (as can be said of so many in my class....the reality of working in a school located in the 'hood).

One of his jobs is the Keeper of the Time when students go to the restroom either as a class or individually. Trust me, this needs to be done since some of them go to the restroom and forget that they have a class to return to...if not for my timer they would be gone for the rest of the day. Doing what, you may ask....well, I have caught them wandering the hallways..."visiting" other classrooms....drinking 500 billion gallons of water.....

Sooooo, I gave my little guy the title "King of the Timers" and taught him how to set the most basic ones and be on the "look-out" if a timer goes off and one of our Family Members has not returned from a trek to the restroom.

This is a job he took very seriously....v e r y - s e r i o u s l y.....and pretty soon he decided he would personally go and get the boys who dawdled....(I generally let my kiddos perform their jobs as they see fit....this allows for them to infuse their personalities in their tasks).

However, I soon had to curb his enthusiasm for his new-found power when yesterday he heard the alarm, snapped it off, said "Right, this has gone on long enough", and left our room in a sharp march that would have made Patton proud.

A few nano-seconds later - while the class and I were discovering the fun of numbers and their two parts- my little man returned with one of our classmates right behind him. The poor kid had neither a choice nor a chance....my little Restroom-and-Timer Gestapo had him by the hand....but to my dismay, things were not right with this picture...

"_________, you cannot just pull people out of the restroom! You HAVE to give them time to pull their pants up!"

Power, in any form, most certainly corrupts.

From the other side of the needle...

2009-09-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

I believe that precaution is worth it's weight in gold. Not of course if you write it on a piece of paper and weigh it...but if you write it on a stone....then it is a whole other story....but, alas, I digress....yet again....(the last part spoken with an English accent)....

So every year I drag my hubby along and we go get a flu shot. Now being the sensitive and tender person I am (Man of House calls it "being a hypochondriac" [yeah, whatever]) things such as flu shots (shots of whiskey, or vodka included) have s to the r to the ong effect on me. And said effects are quick in their appearance.

Last year, when the harpoon-passing-for-a-needle was used on me, I howled in pain. It not only hurt my sensitive and tender skin, but to this day I am convinced that a piece of needle was left in there.....

Soooo....when the time came for this year's puncture, I dragged hubby along...and when my turn came, I assumed the position (left hand limply at my side, prayers at my lips, and head leaning on the wall with eyes scrunched up as I await my dose of pain). The individual administering the shot asked me, "Didn't I give you a shot last year? I certainly remember YOU". Now why am I not flattered at this recognition?

The event commenced....and soon (not soon enough, if ya ask me) it was over.
"Wow! You sure are calm today!" he told me.

No movement from me. None. Nada. Tipota (Greek). Zilch.

"Hey, are you OK?" in a concerned voice (not concerned enough, if you ask me)

"Ooooh yes...I guess I am fine....why is it so foggy in here? Auntie Em...is that you? Did you find Toto? Is he alright?"

"I'm sure going to remember you next year!"

Now WHY don't I feel that is a compliment?

Some early-on observations....

2009-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know that I teach....first grade....the land of fun, honest comments...and gas.

Picture it...the first week of school....(quick, what show is this from?)...going to get my chillens from the cafeteria after lunch. To my dismay I am told that one of my kiddos was throwing food at others. SIGH....already? These kids don't even know each other yet.....and this little toot doesn't know ME yet.

Among the chaotic throng of little people getting their lunches, eating their lunches, crying at their lunches, and throwing away their lunches I find my class....and the little food-thrower amongst them.

"_____, come here to me". He comes over.

"Why did you throw food in the cafeteria?" No answer.

"Please look at me when I talk to you. Now, why did you throw food in the cafeteria?" No answer.

"OK, we don't have to talk about it here, but you and I are going to have a talk as soon as we get back to class."

He looks up at me and I see his mouth slowly open. Oh good, now we can get to the bottom of this...

He looks at me with his cute brown eyes (really, his is lovable) and says, "F___ you". I just stand there with my eyes blinking and, I am sure, a stupid look on my face.

Naw...he did not say what I thought he just said....it must be the noise and all in here....so I bend down and say "What did you say sweetie?"

"F___ you"....

Wow.

Move forward to one office referral and several days later....it is time to get ready to go home....I am busy assigning classroom jobs and showing students the basic requirements in doing them. Someone is making a great deal of noise with their increasingly louder voice....oh yes, it is my little "cusser"....

I go up to him and ask, "_______, how many times have I asked you to stop doing that?"

Comes the reply, "Five times, damn!"

I still have that stupid look on my face.....

A trip to the IRS....

2009-08-12T23:18:00.001-07:00

We owe on our taxes...again....

So we are trying to make a payment plan with our friends at the IRS....again...

But unlike years gone by, we have not gotten a love-letter (from our friends at the IRS) informing us that we owe them money and giving us a chance to pay via several options....

So Man of House and I trudge to our nearest IRS office....located in the nearest Federal Building.....somewhere between the Social Security Office and one of the layers of hell.

When we arrive we are greeted by a sign that we are to remain by the door until we are allowed to venture further into the realm of IRS-land. A man by the name of (seriously folks, this was his name) Jesus (pronounced Hay-SOOOOS) beckons us forward. We explain our situation. He proceeds to inform us of the time-period between sending ones taxes and getting an acknowledgment that they have indeed been received by the IRS. When we point out that we have exceeded that time frame and as yet have received nada, we are given a number and told to wait.

So we sit....and immediately regret we have not brought library books, games, sewing to catch up on, wills to draw up....you know, all those things that you never seem to have time for because you just cannot find several frickin' hours to kill.

While there, we notice that there are to be neither food, drinks, nor cell phone use while sitting in this charming environment of plastic chairs, old carpeting, and eye-catching posters on how the IRS can help Y O U.

Yeah, I have seen signs like this before, but other than the cell phone part, the rest is not really enforced. So, we turn our cell phones to vibrato.

Two gentlemen enter, are greeted by Jesus, given a number, and sit down. One of their cell phones rings and it is answered. Oh, but our man Jesus is on the ball...he informs them that this is not be tolerated...and that the call must continue outside.

Wow.

Next, a young couple come in. They have an adorable little girl about 6 months old. They are greeted by Jesus, given a number, and told to sit down. The baby gets fussy, and mom pulls out a bottle to feed her. Jesus, ever the man-on-guard, tells them that this is not allowed. So the parents pull the bottle out of the child's mouth with the result that the child gets fussy....and whiny...so they leave....and loose their place in line...so they go home.

Huh?

Another young couple comes in, with a small child, a baby, and a grandma in tow. The baby has a bottle....and, well you guessed it...they were told to sit outside the doors so they may see when their number is called.

OOOOooookayyyyy....

This gets my mind going. What if you are a new-ish mother? You are still breast feeding your baby, but your baby is home now. What if you start leaking? Your schedule will not allow you to take any more time away to visit the IRS (hard to believe, I know...but stay with me on this). According to our dictator, Hay-SOOOS, you need to leave.....and wait outside the doors till your number is called. But the moment you re-enter, you will be violating the "no food or drink" rule....I present all this to Man of House. He looks at me like I have lost my mind....

Finally I come up with a solution....any IRS business could be conducted just inside the doors....as long as the offending booby stays over the line showing where IRS-land begins. Man of House just closes his eyes. I think he is praying. Yeah, we need all the help we can get here.

I don't see a rule forbidding that....so we can remain in our plastic chairs....safe in the knowledge that life as we know & love it may continue...as long as no food, drinks, or cell phones are being used.... bless you Jesus.

Better and better!

2009-08-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today I got a chance to speak to my parents on the phone (like that is different from any other day....) and BOTH of them sounded like their old selves....Oh Glory to God.....Thank you my Dearest Sweet Virgin Mary.....

I hold to Her hand as we wait on another answer to our prayers.....my husband's job situation.....he is ready to enter the field of education full time...but things don't go as planned always....the crafty-one tends to throw a monkey wrench into many a day...especially during any Lenten period.....

Good news!!!

2009-08-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have been praying fervently to the Theotokos (The Most Wonderful Mother of Christ).....calling upon Her Blessed Name....and in Her mercy, She has heard us!

My father is home from the hospital! He was released from the hospital on Monday. His appetite is not as it was, but that is slowly returning to him.....and my wonderful mother (oh, how blessed you are dad to have a wife who stayed with you for 4 weeks straight- with only one break to go home- at the hospital) can rest her legs and sleep in a bed for the first time since my father entered the hospital. Woot woot!!!!!

As we continue with our most current 24 hour prayer vigil, I thank Our Lady the Theotokos for helping us during this crisis....and humbly ask for help with my husband's job situation....

Most Holy Mother of God...intercede for us! +

An answer to a question....

2009-07-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

...that has been frequently asked via email, by some of my latest blogger peeps....when I responded to a remark about my bridal bouquet (see it up there in my header?) I was asked in my email about it. I was also queried as to any other items I had made....

If you really wish to know the answer to your questions....go to the blog I wrote about my step-son's wedding (here)

Maybe later on, once my father is out of the hospital (God willing), I will write about more about other wedding items I have created...but for now, enjoy!

No news....

2009-07-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Although my father is over the pneumonia part of his hospital stay....he is now there for complications from that dreaded illness.

May God grant him health.

And so we wait.

It has been a hard month...

2009-07-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

This post will be short and sweet....this month has been very hard for us. You see, my father has been in the hospital since July 6 for pneumonia.....

When dealing with the elderly, nothing is easy and especially pneumonia....Since I am here in Texas and my parents and brothers are in Greece, there is not much I can do but offer up prayers....and we have been!

I don't want to go into details now....my mind is just trying to wrap itself around the fact that the person who represented so much strength in my life is so weak now....so human (if that makes sense).

As I look back on all my father's contributions and sacrifices in my life (here and here) I am so thankful to God for blessing me with such a wonderful man to call "Dad"...and I pray that He aids him in a recovery that will allow him to be in my life for many, many more years....I am not ready to give him up.

Some 4th of July photography tips...

2009-07-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July....ours was Q U I E T...and that is fine by me.

The above is the photo I took of my July 4th centerpiece....as you can see by my skills that this picture was outdoors....see how I stepped back in order to include a bit of the backyard? Now this little creation normally is on our dining-room table, but due to the two little critters that sometimes like to wrastle on said table, it was safer for it to be outside...
Observe....

...and....

But...I digress....

Where was I? Oh yeah....the divulging of some of my secret photo tips....

Here is a close-up (done by getting closer to my subject -- with me so far?)of the top of the aforementioned center piece ....

...and a close-up of the little patriotic bear found at the bottom (all the while using the same daredevil technique that I used before)...

(a little side-note to all you parents who buy gifts for your child's teachers....yes we do keep them for a long time and we do use them).

Here is the table with my last-minute-kitty-safe center piece....to achieve this montage I came in from the back yard inside to the dining room....shocking, I know...

...and yes, I do have a giant piece of plastic covering my table (and thus my tablecloth...I am Greek ya know!)

Finally, pics of my "creation" in the dining room....

See the candle-holder-thingy in the center? I bought that at an antique shop for 50% off! It looked really tacky with these plastic red berries on it. Man of House just hated it...he said, "it looks tacky"....but I pulled off those berries and decided to use it for each seasonal/monthly decoration I use around the house....as well as a kitten-proof center piece...
see below...

oh, I forgot, I showed you photos of the culprits...

Here are some close-ups...

Phew! That is all for now....I hope to have inspired you to go out there and take your own not-so-focused photos....the world is waiting for you! Go out there and take those photos!!

Unless you are as bored by all this as Neelix is...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

2009-06-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Warm and wonderful Father's Day wishes to those men, who have "recently" been discovered by courts and doctors, to make an enormous contribution to childrens' lives....FATHERS! It has been proven time and again that an active role by fathers' in their kids' lives significantly reduces the risk of teen pregnancies and drug abuse....duh!

Special heartfelt wishes to the most important fathers in my life....my own fantastic father, and my beloved husband.

Dad....thank you...
~by telling me you believed in me, you gave me wings;
~by standing by me, you gave me the courage to trust;
~by perseverance, you showed me how to learn from my mistakes;
~by accepting things that cannot change, you enabled me to accept life;
~by living with dignity, you taught me how to live;
~by being the man you are, you helped me find my soul mate;

And to my darling Man of House.....
~thank you for all of your support as I decide what I want to be when I grow up;
~thank you for allowing me to make mistakes as I grow
~thank you for fixing things I break, finding things I loose, holding me when I cry,
and making my world a pretty amazing place to be....

even though...
~I have used so many of your tools as hammers--tools that were never meant to be used that in
that way--tools you ended up giving me for my "hammer collection"
~I belt out opera ditties and Ethel Merman songs at you at home....in stores....
in parking lots....in theaters....over the phone....as I drive away from you....
in our driveway in front of the neighbors....
~I goosed you last week while you were using the staple gun and thus caused you to run
a staple through your thumb

Thank goodness I was blogging and not near you this morning....when you accidentally shaved off your mustache!

Makin' yogurt....and more.

2009-06-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Man of House decided to make some yogurt...but not any plain ole' yogurt....oh no!

He wanted the rich, creamy style that is a hallmark of Greek Yogurt....he wanted it organic....he wanted it thick....and he wanted it soon! You see, Man of House had a cravin' for some Greek Yogurt (the only kind served in these here parts [our house]).

So he began.

He got Mr. Crockpot ready

Man of House just loves Mr. Crockpot. It is one of his new best friends. In fact, he loves it so much that he won't let me touch it as I tend to make e v e r y t h i n g into a hammer at some point and time.

Which reminds me of the question, "If you see everything as a hammer, then how do you view the world?" I really don't know. You see, I don't see everything as a hammer, just as a potential hammer whenever I have anything that needs hammering....dear me...I have digressed.

Back to the yogurt and Mr. Crockpot.

Then he added some of our mostest favorite milk in the whole of the wide world (yeah, you can tell I teach first grade):

Yup...Promised Land Milk...yummmm!

Next came some yogurt from the best tasting yogurt found on planet Earth...

Yup....Fage Yogurt....double yummmm! We just L O V E this stuff....it is rich.... it is creamy...it does not taste like bad breath.

Then he inserted Mr. Food Thermometer into the mixture....

Can you see Mr. Food Thermometer's wire? It went into Mr. Crockpot. I wonder of they are having sex now....

Mr. Food Thermometer is another of his toys I am not allowed to touch....as if I could even hammer with that!

Every once in a while, Man of House would check on his project...

And then....and then..... Woman of House got involved in other things and did not pay attention nor did she take pictures (isn't it great to talk about yourself in the third person? So formal and all....yet...so...lonely.)

So this is where our saga ends...but not to worry. For as soon as the Lent Period for the Apostles Peter and Paul ends, Man of House will be make yogurt again....and I will be sure to be there for all the drama and action!

(Cue dramatic music here)

Keeps you on tenderhooks, don't it?

A Public Service Announcement...

2009-05-31T23:01:00.000-07:00

The picture above is from:

~The ten talented phalanges
~The discerning eye
~ AND the unique talent

of Christina

Thank you.

Some photography "tips"

2009-05-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here is Frauline Weesha VonBoone Sultana Sheherezad:

Aint she perty? I think so....and as you can guess, I finally got around to using my pink digi camera.....

Now for some people....like, oh say CHRISTINA....photography is an art....a creation....an expression of inner feelings and what the mind's eye sees....and for others....like, oh say ME it is a way of....of....of....oh, lets say TAKING A PICTURE....

So now I am like a kid in a candy store...snapping away here and there....taking pictures as often as I can.....taking photos that may make some people...like, oh say CHRISTINA cringe in pain and terror...or at least laugh out loud. However, not being one to like being left out of some loops, I will give you all the background info on how I get my shots....

Just in case you want to know....or even if you don't.

Now in the above photo I set my lens on "on" and turned the flash to the "on" position as well. I hope I have not blown your mind with all the technical talk....by the way, the lady in the photo is Savannah Belle E. Button Hamilton Dubois....aka Belly Button, aka (depending on what she has eaten from the backyard) Smell E. Fartin'. But alas, I digress.

So let us shift our focus to another set of pictures I fondly title "What's Cookin', oh Man of House?" and featuring the wonderful outdoor culinary skills of (who else?) Man of House.

It all begins with the capture of one of Man of House's grills smokin' away:

Altogether now, "ooooh, aaaahhh". Look at the image...can you feel the heat coming at you? I knew you could!

Problem was, the grate on this soon-to-be-replaced grill was rusty....not to fear though, Man of House pulled out his trusted cast-iron skillets and proceeded to use them on said grill...
*SIGH* my hero...

The food went in the skillets, and the cowboy-style cooking began...(cue music here: Home on the Range)

More smoke ensued (that's it, just beyond one of our dwarf citrus trees....ya see it?):

Pssst...You wanna know a secret? I ventured behind this foliage to get that "out in the wilderness" feel...jelly aren't you?

Later, Man of House decided to add beer to the sausages....

(sizzle, sizzle, sizzle....) Mmmmmm!

Even more later, Man of House decided to add beer to himself....

(glug, glug, glug) Mmmmmm! (That is him saying that....I am not a big fan of beer although I did have one that day).

WARNING! And now....because this is an adult blog....and because Man of House and I are so totally ga ga over each other, what follows is a photo that is steaming with love...one that is drenched in lust....one that gives itself up to one shuddering explosion after another....this is YOUR chance to leave if you are not a fan of torrid scenes....

...final chance to bail here....

A photo of Man of House's hand on my hiney !!!!

( I purposely focused on the background stuff and gave the bottle an unfocused, fuzzy, almost "other world" look by not knowing what I was doing in the first place....yeah, I know what you are thinking...you're jelly...)

Dedication to Aggie....

2009-05-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Another sadness....

2009-05-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today we had to help our dog, Aggie (named for the fightin' Texas A & M Aggies), cross the Rainbow Bridge. We had her for approx. 16 years.

She came to us from our neighbor's yard. They moved and left her behind. She was alone for 2-3 days....she was hungry so she decided to chew her way through the fence that divided our yards...and she had not look back since. I remember how once, during a few fierce rain storms Texas is famous for in the spring, I could hear her whining as she withstood the fury of Mother Nature. From the time she was a pup (around 6-8 weeks old) her owner neglected her.....the final straw being the move that left her behind.

Man of House took her in (this was before we were married), but since I spent so much time with him it was as if she were mine too.

And did this dog have issues! She was afraid of being alone, she was constantly leaning....and I do mean LEANING....on us to get love. Her favorite trick was to wait till we got comfortable (either in bed or in a chair) and then whine to be let out....She loved to eat anything she could get a hold of....

Yet in spite of all these irritating quirks, we loved her dearly. Could I have been more patient with her? Yes. She really did not mean to cause problems. So from this life, which seemed to come into our lives from someone else's neglect, we all have learned a lesson....one that involves extending patience especially when it seems as if your last never is trodden upon. We have labeled this "Aggie's Rule"...and we vow to remind each other of this whenever we feel our tempers getting the better of us....when we feel we are at the end of our rope, or when we feel tempted to lash out.

And so....surrounded by her hu-man family (as the Ferengi say), she was given the necessary medicines to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge. Run free dear Aggie. You have taught us well and we will miss you.

Something new....

2009-05-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Our son is visiting us from Chicago...and he is letting us use his monitor because ours is so big and bulky....and old....

So watcha think? Does it make me look younger?

Another early-morning adventure....

2009-05-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

The last time we woke up early and left the house was when we had this adventure....

This time it was to satisfy a curiosity of another kind......a desire to learn.....

We had been planning to go to the King Tut Exhibit for the longest time....and this weekend was the last chance we had to attend....my daughter went on line and found out that since 05.17.09 was the last day before all this left our area, the exhibit was open for the next 24 hours....and that the price of the tickets was severely reduced if we attended between the 12:00 - 7:30 am showing.....so we made plans the night before....but sadly the only time slot that was not sold out was the 5:30 - 6:30 showing....

OK...I figured if I can do this to have fun on the day after Thanksgiving, I could do this in order to edify myself....I can do this...I really can....

Then at 4:30 the next morning I had my doubts....but after much self-prodding, I was ready to go at the appointed time....all 3 of us were. To my great surprise there were quite a number of people there when we arrived at the Museum. Who knew???

And boy, oh boy, am I glad I went! To see sights and wonders that will not pass by here again during my lifetime was breath-taking. To gaze upon the statue of Ramesses' face and have my brain wrap itself around the fact that this is the face of someone alive during Biblical times (and according to some, may have actually dealt with Moses!!!!!!!!!) almost gave me a headache.

All of this became too much for me....I fell apart....and became separated from Husband of House and Daughter of House....so....I began to walk like an Egyptian (although I did not hum that song at all). I pointed my feet in one direction, moved my arms at angles in front and behind me, and started to walk from exhibit to exhibit (it should be pointed out that I had already been reprimanded for touching a statue of Tut and his mom....I just had to....I did not want to...I had to....I'm sure you understand).

When I grew weary of this mode of transport, I found myself in front of the Royal Staff and Flailing-thingy....now I know this is hard to believe, but I do not own these items....so I thought about it, and I took off my crock-knock-offs and held them across my chest, kept my feet pointed in one direction and it the oh-so-familiar Egyptian pose of one foot behind the other, and proceeded to more exhibits (this did make holding the Audio-Commentary-Thingy a bit on the difficult side, but I overcame...I know, you are proud of me...)

By this time, I finally reached the end of my adventure....Man of House and Daughter of House were waiting for me....

Now, as if this was not enough....I realized that there was more joy in store for me! For you see, the money we saved on tickets got to go to some really nice things in the gift shop....you should see my Pharoe's hat! Truly an au curant item...I wore it to the 3D movie about ole Tutenkhamun (this was the first 3D movie where the stupid glasses actually worked!) and actually FELT the moment...I WAS there.....I found myself RULING Egypt....I wanted to make those stiff-necked Hebrew slaves finish my Jubilee City (quick, what movie is that from?)....at least till the movie was over and Husband of House rolled his eyes at me and told me to "snap out of it"....

After this tiring but erudite adventure, we headed off to church....my Pharoe's hat safely put away....my fingers itching to put it on....and command my Army to make our steeds run faster...pulling our chariots into the land of the Nubians....ready to take more land to make Egypt stronger....

...there is Man of House giving me that strange look again....

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful ending to a wonderful weekend! A nice quiet wind-down....

Friday, we welcomed our newest member to our family....Weeshah Sultana Sheherazade....a 6 mo old German Shepherd dog....

Now, I do not believe that anything happens that God does not want to happen...He just uses different things, people, animals, etc to get His will done. In this case we were dealing with Panda's remains at the vet's when we felt that something was going on behind us. We turned around and saw a woman with a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l German Shepherd. The dog was a female about 6 months old who was abused, neglected, and almost broken (in spirit). She told us that she was bringing in the dog for her shots and to get spayed....then she was going to give her to this couple she had met. If that did not work out, then she had another couple to try her out with. I mentioned that if we had found her first I would have taken this dog...she asked for our names and number "just in case". I told her that if she had others lined up for this dog, then I did not want to cause problems. Later on in the week, she called and asked us if we were still interested in the dog and we both said a resounding "Yes!" She told us that she did not have good feelings about the people she had lined up before, and that when she talked to the vet we came highly recommended.

It may sound strange to read this and you may be wondering why I brought up God in all of this...well He IS in everything anyway...but as we were dealing with Panda, I could not help thinking of something I had read a while back about a person who lost their beagle to old age (I think that was it)...anyway, whenever they felt sad or missed their dog they would let their thoughts flow and pretty soon they noticed the same kind of butterfly flying around them whenever this happened...coincidence? Maybe....but when Man of House lost his dog (Rudy) to an illness he was devastated....and his mind would flow about his dog....then one day at an outdoor school function he mentioned how much he missed his dog, and how it was two weeks to the exact second that Rudy died when God brought another dog into our midst and into our lives....

So now we have this creature entrusted to us....another abused being (we seem to attract those kinds)...and after tossing around several names, we settled on the aforementioned ones (the first being Swahili for "pretty or beautiful", the second because after being tied up without food or water for 2+ days she managed to keep some regal-ness about her, and the third for one of my favorite stories (the famed Persian Queen who told the famed One Thousand and One Nights and thus saved herself from death).

But this was not enough for this weekend....along with the said PINK camera (oh boy am I rotten at photos!) I got a Scrapbooking CD (oh boy am I rotten at that sort of computer stuff!), story DVD's for my classroom (oh boy am I looking forward to those!), some antiques (oh boy I love antiquing!), a lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (oh boy that was fantastic!) and a weekend of pure r-e-l-a-x-a-t-i-o-n!!! (oh boy that was great!)...

We also took time to privately and publicly talk and thank our respective moms...I have said it before and I will say it again...

"Mom, I cannot thank you enough for....
all the things you have given me
all the help you give
all that you have taught me
all that you are

If I am just one ounce the parent you are, then I shall have accomplished A LOT!
I am forever thankful to God for you....your example stands as a shining beacon...
I love you more than I can express....
All that I am I owe to you, for you are the wind beneath my wings...."

I hope your weekend was just as wonderful as mine...and I hope to start including some photos soon....did I mention how rotten I am at that? Christina, you have nothing to fear!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

2009-05-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here's to the most important woman in our lives....our mothers.

As per a custom started in my family, and now carried on in my new one....the celebration lasts a whole weekend...and this year it was titled "International Jammie and Mother's Day Weekend". It began on Friday evening when everyone was all together and is still going strong.

It has been a most blessed and relaxing weekend so far...so many surprises and memories made! And the best part is now I get to have pictures of the event (I finally ordered my digital camera....and for me the most important requirement was that it was PINK!).....

So off I go for more fun....right after church of course.....more news to come on the events...and on our newest family member! Tee hee!

A kind offer...

2009-04-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Nothing is working with my first graders today! I try teaching the concept of counting out coins every which way I can, but nothing is getting through to these kids! Aaaak!

"Are you all doing this on purpose just to make me cry? Because that is what I am going to do right now? That is how frustrated I feel!"

From the back of the class comes, "No, we don't want you to cry....but if you want, we can pray with you...that might help!"

Wise words....

XPICTOC ANECTH!!! (CHRIST IS RISEN!!!)

2009-04-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

(www.goarch.org)

To one and all--CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!

O Hades, you have been angered by encountering Him in the nether world. Hades is angered because frustrated, it is angered because it has been mocked, it is angered because it has been destroyed, it is angered because it has been reduced to naught, it is angered because it is now captive. It seized a body, and, lo! it encountered heaven; it seized the visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and you are abolished. Christ is risen and the demons are cast down. Christ is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Domesticity strikes again!....

2009-04-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Right into the heart of me!

As Eastern Orthodox Christians, we are getting ready to celebrate Pascha (Easter) this Sunday. Soooo, the house has been cleaned thoroughly and yours truly here has made not 1...not 2...not 3....but 8 (yup eight) tsourekia (Greek braided Easter Bread)! Boo ya!

Man of House has started the Greek-style lamb (to be followed by Greek roasted potatoes, Greek salad, Cypriot salad, Russian Pascha, a Greek desert called "galaktoboureko", koulourakia [Greek butter cookies].....and more!)

While all this breaks the long Paschal Fast and helps us celebrate the Miracle of the Resurrection, it is one of the endings of a hard spiritual journey.

The food is good...OK, it is GREAT!....but the ultimate reward is a renewed sense of spirituality in ourselves and all mankind....it is the understanding of what Jesus did for us and why...it is a vow to be better people....and so much more!

Holy Week started for us last Sunday with Palm Sunday and a sense that the really hard part of the Lent was now upon us. This past week Services for the Bridegroom (Christ) and Holy Unction left a sense of somberness upon us....and then Holy Thursday.....where (as a tradition for many in my family) we stayed up with the Crucified Christ (we have a large icon of Christ on the Cross at our house). Usually we stay up till around 3:00 am. Recently, we have also started watching The Passion of the Christ on this night ....it sure does put words like "scourging" in to perspective....but this night we managed to stay up till around 6:00! Woo hoo! (This tradition is from the Hebrew faith of staying up all night with the body of a recently deceased loved-one....some Greeks still do this....and oftentimes it is done at a church). A variety of prayers also fill this night, as does quiet contemplation.

Now it is Great Friday....and the mood is still somber. A purple mourning wreath is at our door. QUIET rules the house....and we wait. We wait for the Blessed News of His Resurrection....we wait....

2009-04-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

R.I.P. Panda Kat

2009-04-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

It's really hard to have your pets all around the same age....or even most of them. We have had 4 cats that we got around the same time 16 years ago...and this past Wednesday morning (around 1:15 am) Panda Roo Kathmandu Pierpont Vanderkellen I crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to join the other 3.

Man of House got her for me so long ago when we had first started dating. Anyone who knows even a scintilla about me knows how much I adore pandas....so when he saw this little black and white kitten he knew she was the one for me. She was my first cat...and she followed me around everywhere I went in the house.

Not for her the usual problems people have with kittens....no scratching of anything, no lack of use with the litter box, no furballs - not a one. Once when she was just a wee thing, I was getting ready to say my prayers. She came up to me and wanted to play. I gently pushed her away and said something like, "I am going to do my prayers now, so you need to go away and behave." She scooted off and I began my prayers. A little while later a movement caught the corner of my eye and I looked...there was Panda with her little furry fish....she quietly brought it over and sat and played with it while I prayed. That was the kind of cat she was.

When she reached 6 mos old, I decided to get her spayed. She went to the doctor, got everything taken care of, and returned the next day. Only problem was, she had a little fever, so she was on meds for that. I noticed that later she was trying to pull her stitches out (and had in fact pulled one completely out). So an Elizabethan collar was brought home from the vet and put on her. At first she tried to back out of it (a comical sight to be sure), but when she accepted it she just looked at me as if to say "OK...I don't understand this, but I trust you". While almost all the cats I have heard of don't even attempt to get into their litter box while wearing this collar, Panda did her best to make it in...and succeeded. Not one accident happened during this time.

But that was Panda....even Man of House remarked she was not normal in her behavior (she never got into anything she was not supposed to and as a result I would leave just about anything out without fear--a habit I quickly modified when I got my other cats).

So after 16 years together, Tuesday we knew it was her time. We all held her and talked to her. I reassured her it was OK for her to cross over the Rainbow Bridge....and so she did....but in her own true style. For on Tuesday it was Kalli's birthday....and in Panda's wonderful nature, she held on till just after midnight the next day and passed away. She was near me at the time and I will be grateful to God (again) that one of our fur-babies crossed over while surrounded by loved ones.

Be free, my darling Panda Roo. Thanks for being my cat and for letting me be your person for 16 years. I will miss you more than you know.

Greek Independence Day and other stuff......

2009-04-05T08:40:00.001-07:00

On March 25 Greek Independence Day took place. Among the plethora of celebrations and recognitions that occurred wherever the Greek diaspora were found. And so we had planned similar (although somewhat on a smaller scale) at our end of the woods.

Homemade baklava was made and taken to my school where it was enjoyed by one and all....books on ancient and modern Greece were put out for others to read.....famous Greeks were discussed (my personal favorite Konstantine Karatheodoris - Einstein's teacher and upon whose shoulders Einstein himself said to have stood to achieve his theories [and was distressed that more attention was not given to his teacher])...and of course Greek politics were brought up.

Mention was made of television in Greece, where a good many American shows were playing...as well as the Greek talk shows I love to watch from our Direct TV and Dish hook ups....(in Greece, talk shows last up to 3 hours and often involve putting out cheese, wine, and other drinks for guests - as well as several rounds of dancing!!!) And the political talk shows! Oh my!

And then....and then.... a family crisis occurred....our son called to tell us his wife was in the hospital with a blood clot in her lung. Things changed on a dime then. Late night phone calls everyday occurred....prayers were done...and we all sat on the edge of our chairs. They were given the all-clear to come down to see us this past week (S had a class to take in the DFW area while his wife rested at her parents house) and all seem calm...and then....and then....she had to be rushed to the emergency room because something in her blood had a high count. So more worries and prayers....till she got out and went back to her parents...(her mother is an RN and was able to monitor her closely)....they left this morning...amid much worrying and concern for Chels. May God be with her...

So our celebrations were cut short...later posts will relate some other things about my peeps, as well as news of my DIL.

Yia sas and filakia!

Blog changes...

2009-03-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

So why the changes?

Hmmm?

Why, it is in getting ready for Greek Independence Day, silly! Oh, I knew you knew...I knew you were just pulling the leg of me (as my Greek mama would say...in her oh-so-cute broken English)...

More on the celebrations to follow....and in the mean time..."ya sou!"

To sleep...perchance to dream...

2009-03-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

I love to sleep.

Yup, there's no doubt in my mind, I love the activity. I could do it 24/7 if I could. There is a steady stream of QUIET in our house...this lends itself to sleep. And sleep in our household takes on many, many forms....some of my kids have a style all their own...

Take Beauriguard for instance....

*SIGH* He makes it look so zen-like....

Then there's the drunk-looking style of Tuxedo....
Seriously Little Man...you have just GOT to get that problem under control! (Please ignore the walls and other clutter in this picture...this is evidence of the changing process going on in our house-- thanks to Man of House....and of an evening spent moving decorations around--thanks to Woman of House.)

Then there is Aggie....

Aaahhh...doesn't she look so darn cute?

All this sleeping sure makes our house look like a quiet zone full of love, tranquility, and peace...no?

It does for all, but Oliver...

He just cannot seem to understand how all this relaxation is as wonderful as everyone seems to think it is.

Sorry dude.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

2009-02-16T18:20:00.001-08:00

Man of House!

It figures....someone so smoochy, kind, and...well, just plain sweet would be born so close to Valentine's Day.

Does this little factoid have anything to do with the level or romance in this man? Maybe.

Does the fact that I believe God danced the day he was born, have anything to do with his personality? Could be.

Does the truth that God seemed to have put "something extra" into this person....and thus decided that this time of year would be perfect for his birth mean anything? Perhaps.

Or is it a combination of all of the above? By golly, I think that is it!

Either way, either view...I am blessed with this one piece of evidence that God loved me so very much that He bestowed on me one of His most wonderful creations....

Happy Birthday dearest Man of House.....may you have many, many, many, many more, more, more...each one better than the ones before it!

I adore you!

And finally.....

2009-02-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

I have shown you the third and second most love-iest dove-iest couples I know....but what about the one if FIRST place?

In my blessed opinion, I would say it would be Man of House and me.

Not because of anything I have done or anything I am, but because of him.....Man of House.

He is...
the maker of my coffee
the creator of my breakfasts
the sounding-board of my life
the provider of so much laughter
the giver of my dreams
the star of my show
the taker of my breath
the encourager of my hopes
the receiver of my desires
the tolerate-er of my songs
the cause of my heart-smiles
the completer of my soul

All these things and so much more....that is what he is....and since I am the benefactor of all this, that makes me part of a very romantic couple...a very, very romantic couple indeed...so that is how I came up with this. See?

And now, since I have shown you wedding pics of others, I will show you a few of mine...

One of them you already know...it is at the header of this blog....so here are some others:

Here is the handsome groom:

Here is the terrified bride (sort of looks like a frightened rabbit):

Some post wedding shots:

And what is a Greek wedding reception without d a n c i n g?!!!

The cake

The signing of my new name for the first time:

A wee lil' bit more romance....

2009-02-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the SECOND most love love love-iest couple I know....my parents....

Here they are on December 26, 1960 after their Wedding Ceremony in the Greek Orthodox Church of The Panayitsa (Little Virgin Mary) in Palaio Phaliro (Athens) Greece....aren't they just cute, adorable, sweet? I think so. This is one the few pics that survived...almost all burned in a fire at the photographer's studio.

The details surrounding their engagement and marriage are...well...to put it mildly, A M A Z I N G!

And as per a weird twist of fortune....or through the fickle finger of fate (quick - which show is this from?) my older brother was married in the same church he was baptized in...which also happens to be the same church my parents were married in....not a big deal till you realize that the time between my parent's wedding, George's baptism and his marriage involves 2 countries, 5 states, and over 30 years....only to have things end up back at this church....oh, I just love it when things come full circle!

Move up a few years and here are these adorable little people at my wedding to Man-of-House.

I honestly think that they look even more sweet and cute now than in the first picture....it could be because they are still so totally ga-ga over each other (after 43 years of marriage - at the time this picture was taken)...or because they are so totally compatible....or a combination of these two reasons and many others as yet unknown to man....and yet...and yet, I choose to think that it is because they are so ridiculously happy that they have me as their child.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

As Valentine's Day approacheth...

2009-02-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Don't ya just love old-timey talk???
Anyway, I digress...

Here's to the THIRD most lovey-dovey peeps I know....my son and his wife...

Aren't they cute??? Do you like the picture....? I took it. Oh it took a long time,and I must admit, I was a bit out of practice.... but I got it right. Jelly, aren't you?...

OK, ok I did not take it, but if I had... that would have been the conversation we would be having.

This the church they were married in...lovely isn't it? It is the same church his father and I were married in...the church his father was baptized in, and the one his father's parents were married in.... I helped design it. Oh it took a long time, but it was worth it....many did not think I could do it...but I proved them wrong. Jelly, aren't you?

OK, ok I did not design it, but if I had...that would have been the conversation we would be having.

These are their wedding crowns....breath-taking are they not? I made them. Oh it took a long time, but I finally managed to get them done to my standards. Jelly, no?

OK, ok.. I did not make them...wait a moment (!) yes I did! I really did! Just as I had made ours...and the King of Greece's...jelly, are you not?

OK...OK....I did not make the King's, but if I had this is the conversation we would be having.

This is the case Man-of-House and I made for the newly-weds' Wedding Crowns...and right behind the case (which is housing the Crowns) is a little view of the Wedding Candles I made for them (you can get another view of said Candles in the first picture - they were so big and heavy!!)...yes, yes, YES...I made them....I did it all...MMMEEEEE....just lil' ole me...

Er...wait a moment...did I? Let's look through the windmills of my mind....oh my...what a dark place to be right now...is anybody in here with me? Wait...wait...yyyyeessss, there it is...yup, I did make them...I did, I did!

Now... if these are the third most love-i-est dove-i-est little peeps in the whole of the wide world (and beyond) who are the second...and the first??? Hmmmm?

You'll just have to wait and find out....

...jelly, aren't you????

Rabbits, hugs, and a sad cat.

2009-02-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

With these days of laying around and just being a fam, some of us are very, very happy.

This is Tinkerbell...she just looks at you with those big brown eyes and your heart melts...so you pick her up and hug her, and love her....here she is on daddy's tummy. Oh she takes advantage of her cuteness alright!

"Times are tough, the economy is bad...I don't know when my next meal will come...if I look cute and adorable, then maybe they will take pity on me and feed me...."

Nice job Tinks!

Of course, not to be outdone, our other animals have taken note of this....and while it works well with some...like Oreo Cookies-n-Cream

It is not the same with all our fur-babies. "Oh...woe to me! Times are tough for me too!"

Sorry, dear Tuxedo J. Bravo...it just doesn't pack the same punch.

How fuzzy was my valley....

2009-02-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

For two weeks....two weeks.... two weeks...!!!! I have been living in my own personal kind of hell...a fuzzy, out-of-balance world....yup...my glasses were broken.

In a desperate attempt to get my focals to remain in working order, I tried tape, gorilla glue, super glue--alone and in varied combos to no avail. The break was there to stay...much like cannibalism in some tribal lifestyles....

So...I got out my 2-prescriptions-old glasses (think Sally Jessey Rafael) and wore them when I could....that is to say I used them to look far-away, but had to take them off to see anything as close as 3 ft from me (or wear them and grow gorilla arms)...I "wore " them to work and around the house (well, most of the time they were of my face)...

And, as you can probably guess by now...there was chaos in my classroom. Oh yeah, they got away with it all because you see, I could not get to my glasses fast enough to catch the culprits...so a good time was had by all--except me.

Yesterday I finally got the phone call I had been waiting about 4 months for (OK it was really two weeks, remember?)that my new glasses were ready!

As the last day of another fuzzy-classroom day ended, I told my kidlets, "Ya know, this afternoon I am going to pick up my glasses....and tomorrow I will be able to see CLEARLY so all your monkey shines are going to stop! We are going to get back to the order of the day...learning..."

From the back of my class a quiet voice piped up, "Oh, the party's over"...

And since that day, it has been.

Silent Killer...

2009-02-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

There is a "new" kind of danger for women out there....please go to this web site and check it out...then pass on the knowledge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s9_UrVtc6c

Woo hoo.....ice day!

2009-01-28T04:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I received an unexpected phone call from the person assigned to call me on our phone tree at work...and was told that schools in our district are closed today due to ice!!!

YEAH BABY!

Oh what a day this will be...on schedule is the weekly cleaning of the kitchen, then a scamper outside to enjoy the wonderful cold, and then an impromptu celebration of International Jammie Day!!!

Yes, I intend to go out in this weather...I am a Yankee by birth and inclination when it comes to weather...it just cannot get cold enough for me. While others are bundled up in anything below 60 degrees here in Texas, I am in t-shirts & capris while at work, and shorts & t-shirts while at home. And don't even ask me about socks...yuck-o! The temp needs to be below 60 for me to consider wearing pants to work and below 50 to wear socks...although living in a house with a cement floor does force me to wear socks more frequently...

So I will be out there...and if the ice manages to last (which it probably won't) I will have my Yankee Clipper (that's a type of sled for you South-reners) going as fast as Mr. Newton's friend will pull me down anything that resembles a hill around here. Yes, yes, yes...a real sled...not a box...not the lid of a trash can, but a real sled. A beloved blast from my childhood....when snow high enough to touch your knees was so common it was boring (wow, I was bored with that??)...and having to fend off offers to buy this pal o'mine...and needing to explain for the bazillionth time what I am pulling along behind me on a rope...

Ah Wisconsin, (one of the states I have lived in as a child--yup we moved around a lot)..I sure do miss you and the fun (and wonderful cheese) you gave us! This sunshine all-year-round is so overrated, overdone, overboard....and for today, OVER!

Ya know, I think I am going to start on the kitchen now (7:00 +/-) so that I can get out there as quickly as possible...even if I don't get the Clipper out, I will be able to rejoice in the day....then return home to enjoy family, music, books, and (of course) jammies!

But just in case the need arises, Man-of-House are ya listening??? My Yankee Clipper can beat your icky Flexible Flyer any ole day...so there! Nya nya nya!!!

That'll teach him.

The fine art of Doing Nothing....

2009-01-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Today it is a cold day....a very, very cold day...and my fam and I plan on doing NOTHING...ahhh...jelly aren't you?

Life is full of so much dadburn stuff....going here, going there, work cuts into personal lives, personal lives blur into work, gotta go here and there on weekends....till everything mixes together into one mess...uh - not for this gal. A long time ago I decided that I would adopt a more simple approach to living....and I have carried this into my marriage....the art of DOING NOTHING...

I made some rules for myself and stuck to them...and so work is work..and when I am there that is what I do...I want to honestly be able to say I earned my paycheck....and home is home....I tend to the needs of that when I am home...Do I look at my work email while at home? Tee hee...yeah, right...like I am going to do that...Do I look at personal email at work? Nope...unless I am off the School District's clock.

But my weekends are special...so many times I see parents running kids here and there...eager to fill every nano-second with something that there is not time to just BE...to just hang out...to just reflect....to just get to know your family...to just have fun...

It seems that there is a fear of silence...that parents and kids may just have to spend a weekend just TALKING to each other....oooo scary stuff there.

I am not being a judge on this...hey, to each his own, but as a teacher I see the other side of this coin....the certain amount of stress these kids live under..and they talk...oh boy do they talk about this...to each other mostly, but on occasion to me. And what do they say? Are ya listening out there? They tell me how they like being in my room because everything is so neat...so "put away" and not in their way. "I don't sneeze when I am in here", "I relax" "I don't want to do something to fix it up". When asked why they can't do that on Saturday, they tell me something along the lines of: "We are ALWAYS going somewhere and that is why I'm tired on Mondays". "Why don't you tell your parents?" A blank stare follows..."Do you ever talk to them about the things you feel deep in your heart?" Another blank look.

That is because talking...real talking...is an art that has to be taught (like math, or reading) and needs to be learned.

This was something handed down to me from my parents (yet another debt I owe them) and it was one I wanted to pass onto my kids. We honestly earn our paychecks during the week, and tend to the house, but on weekends we just "chill + relax = chillax" and tend to the family. Period. End of story. End of sentence. The end. (I think you get my drift).

God sure knew what He was doing (as always) when he made the 7th day Holy and wanted us to honor that. I believe it serves as a time of "recharging of one's batteries" and gives us time to get to know our family, our friends, our selves.

So that is what we do here. When I got married, this was something Man-of-House was not too familiar with (running kids here and there), but now he has embraced it....this was something he wanted...something he needed....but just did not know how much.

Oh there are times when our Saturdays are used for taking care of an issue...but that is limited to a certain time (ie till noon) or (if it takes the entire day) rare in and of itself.

Everyone has a right to live their lives a certain way...and this is how I choose to live mine....as does my fam.

Amen.

She really does listen to me!!!!

2009-01-18T11:40:00.001-08:00

WOW! It does a parent good when his/her child actually listens to said parent....you think to yourself, "Is there anybody out there? Is this person listening? She must be awake because I see her breathing....and I know I am talking because I recognize my own voice...." and then she goes out and really tries to put my wonderful pearls of wisdom into practice...and I am as pleased as punch.

I have unilaterally declared 2009 as the Year of Getting Organized....No more Mrs. Nice-guy...things WILL BE put away neatly....clothing WILL BE tidy...things WILL BE cleaned to an inch of their life...

Now calm down...I know I do not live alone...but...but...jeeez! I can't take this any longer! Chaos roams our house like a wild mob of youngsters...but no more! DO YOU HEAR ME...NO MOOOOREEE!!!

So I had a talk with Man-of-House and K and explained that this was much more than the ravings of a nut (which it probably was)..."this is a life skill...and we would be failing our daughter if we did not continue picking up where her mother did not touch...and we did not teach her a skill that will help her at her job as well as her personal life..." (pretty good huh?)

And you know what...they took it to heart..and they are so much better at it....and you know what else...K told me she has been getting so many compliments at work in re her recent conversion to the organized world...AND this kid actually has almost half of her Christmas shopping for next year done! YEAH! She now comments on how at peace she feels....and Man-of-House seems more at peace too. Things are easier to find for him...the place looks better...and this spreads into other areas of life...making Woman-of-House happy too...

So I just send up a quick little Prayer of Thanks and tone down my gloating...oh don't worry, it will resurface...but for now I have it cubby-holed and filed away...remember, everything in its place...

From my hubby...

2009-01-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

I just read my husband's dedication to our little Trixie....it moved me to tears. Go check it out on the-keeper-of-the-light.blogspot.com

I was wondering what he had been doing so early in the morning...and now I know...

One more thing.....I am especially grateful for Christina's magic....we had some wonderful pictures of Trixie....thanks Christina!

Dedication to Trixie.....

2009-01-03T23:44:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

RIP Trixie....

2009-01-03T22:12:00.000-08:00

It is now just a little after midnight on January 4, 2009....and just a little before midnight on January 3, 2009 our little dog Trixie Pixie-Dust Dixie-Cup Fistulous Whitherspoon passed away.

She was on the couch with me and earlier when my husband told me she was breathing funny I had a sneaky suspicion that it was almost her time to go.....although I never thought that she would cross the Rainbow Bridge this soon.

She came into our lives so quietly and unsuspecting.....a little abused dog who never really recovered from her painful past....a small creature of God with a big heart.....a tender little soul with a lot of love to give...and give it she did.

And just as quietly as she came into our lives, she slipped out....no fuss. While there on the couch with me, her tiny heart stopped....and she was gone.

You will be missed my little Trixie....now who will warm my legs or knees when they get cold or sore? You had just lost your last tooth and it looked as if you were to enjoy a few more years with us....but God decided otherwise. So now you are once again whole...and you can run with all the other pets who had once graced our lives....you can see clearly....and you have all your teeth.

Right now I am in shock....I really don't feel anything except a thankfulness to God that you were surrounded by family when you went and that you did not leave this Earth alone.

Be free, little one.

General musings....

2009-01-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well....all is quiet at our house....and the thought of going back to work looms in my mind now.....Things have been tidy-ed up and we are sitting in a sort of quiet state, vegging out in front to the TV set watching our holiday dvd's.....(JAG for hubby, and Star Trek: Voyager for Kalli).

Remember the little pocket of filth that I suspected was hiding in our house? Well I found it! So now I am ready to get back to my usual schedule of life....which fortunately for me is one I really like.

May your 2009 be better than you ever thought it could be....

And now to go veg...till the next big event (where we take down the Christmas lights--like most Greek Orthodox people, we leave ours up till Epifani ["Ta Fota" as they say.....])..... and then there is St. Nina's (Jan 14 by the Gregorian Calendar) whereby I believe that one of my gifts will be a digital camera....nothing fancy by Christina's standards...just something small and PINK (to match my phone and my iPod [the latter being a gift this holiday season--remember, Santa was VERY nice to me this Christmas])....so I will be posting a few more pics in 2009..

And next week we will also get back to our quest to organize our local storage area so that we can close out the 2nd one we have and empty the garage out....and we will tidy up the back yard...and we will pull out furniture to clean underneath it...and we will SCRUB the refrigerator...and..................

Getting ready for the New Year...

2008-12-31T12:38:00.001-08:00

Boy, oh boy...am I tired....today I finished my "cleaning, organizing, tidying up" the house in anticipation of the New Year...I bleached my way into a practical coma...

This tri-yearly event takes place before the major days of celebration in our household (New Year's, Pascha (Easter), and Ecclesiastical New Year) and has been passed down to me by my mother (As my brother Nick says, "If you think Nina is clean, then my mother is her Guru...") and begins one week prior to the Big Event.

Drawers, doors, and cubbies are opened, cleaned and re-organized. Ceilings are vacuumed. Clothing is taken out, re-folded or re-hung. Vents are cleaned both in front and behind said vent. And this is all done in connection with the regular housecleaning (although I have been told on many occassions that my weekly housecleaning is what many consider "spring cleaning"--I just don't get it)...and now everything is ready...unless I have forgotten something.....and actually I have this nagging feeling I have. Somewhere....somewhere this is this small spot that I have not gotten to....perhaps it is a dresser drawer....or a corner of a closet....or maybe in the kitchen....there lurks somewhere in this house a pocket of filth.

Ooooo...I can just imagine those germs mocking me....laughing at me....reproducing via some unconventional way of multiplying....getting bigger and bigger, till they take over my entire household....oh what horror!

All of a sudden my eye is twitching....and my finger is just itching for my cleaning bottle...I look around my little house....all is quiet. J has gone to pick up Kalli from work. The pets are all asleep. Nobody is aware of the danger that is possibly lurking in our midst...but I am. I am on watch....and now...to paraphrase Elmer Fudd, "Shhhhh...Be vewy, vewy quiet....I am on a germ/bacteria/filth/dirt/dust/dust bunny hunt...."

And yet more thankfulness...

2008-12-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

This goes out to my pets...yup, you are reading it right...to my pets. Oh, I know....everyone thinks that I have done them a huge favor by adopting them (why so many pets?)

But what so few people see is how they have helped me...how they have taught me patience, patience, patience....and tolerance for differences as well as a better acceptance of differences.

These little furry, feathered, shelled "people" have also guided me through the emotional ride of "knowing when to let go".... putting my own desires aside when it comes to letting one of them go.

I found the strength to continue in a profession I feel needs me since I was adopted by my little motley crew...by then the desire to serve those who were behind the "8-ball" was so very, very strong. The need to give-back to an abused being (as a way of saying a universal "thank you") for all I had been blessed with took root when I let the first pet (Toby from our local animal shelter) into my life...and into my heart. From there, it was just a short hop to working in a Title 1 School found in the "hood"....and the rest is (shall we say) history.

I hope my little group knows how much they are loved and needed....I hope they forgive any hurt I may have given them....I never meant to...

And I hope they know how much I love them ...and how grateful I am to them....for I believe that they are the instruments God used to make some good changes in me....after all, as my brother Nick once said..."God works in mysterious ways...why not through hamburger?" Well, OK Nick....He does work in mysterious ways for our benefit....why not through pets?

One of my most favorite gifts this holiday season was an icon of St. Mamas....in the Eastern Orthodox faith he is the patron saint of animals)....my daughter-in-law (boy, does it feel strange to say that!) gave it to us. Words cannot express how much I love this gift. It is to him (and God) that I ask for a blessing for all creatures and especially for my "babies"....the world is a better place because they are in my life...for I am a better person because of them....

TA DA!!!!!

2008-12-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Announcing....my hubby as a new blogger.....visit him at the-keeper-of-the-light.blogspot.com

Santa was good to me this year...

2008-12-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

Yup....he was good to me....he was actually better than good...he was GREAT!

More on that later!

...and still more thankfulness...

2008-12-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, oh yes...it is still going on....

This time I am going to write about those I am honored to call "friends"...this encompasses co-workers, family members, people from church, and my bloggy peeps (so many times I get involved in reading what you write, that I forget to write on my blog!).

Each individual is so very important to me....for he/she helps to complete the balance of my life...how? Well, by providing another point of view many times....what a delight that is! Just when I think I have something figured out....BAM! Another point of view emerges....and that makes me think...and ponder....and wonder....I just love it! How boring the world would be (although considerably more organized) if everyone was just like me....

But the aforementioned vital ingredient in my life is not the only thing those dear to me provide....they also make me laugh....and oh what a sweet blessing laughter is ! It not only cheers the heart, but it floats the soul...in these times of bad news this and horror that, laughter is such a gift of God...He sure new how desperately we would need this!

These dear souls...my friends also lend me their ears...they just listen....wow....those of you who have been in difficult or joyous situations (and who hasn't?) understand the wonderful simplicity of having someone listen to you....isn't it great?

And finally, these people make me THINK....in every aspect of their writings, their talks, their actions they lead me down the road to THOUGHT....for that I am so very, very grateful....for it is only through THOUGHT that I can hope to improve myself and maybe, just maybe, make the burden a little lighter for someone else...

To you, my friends I wish to let you know how important you are to me. You have given to me more than I could ever repay. Your importance in my life cannot be put into mere words....I am so very grateful to you, and for you.

DAMN....DAMN...DAMN....!

2008-12-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the wording of my title, but I just found out that my parents will not be able to travel here to see me this year....again....

They could not come last year because my father had had two strokes several months before and his doctor there would not allow travel.....so a trip was planned for this year. I sure looked forward to seeing those two sweet folks of mine.....there was the catching up to do, the changes in the house for them to see....

And then my dad fell outside the house and broke his knee in 3 places (the kneecap to be exact) and his doctor there will not allow for travel (8 hours in a plane--one way).

I am so heartbroken over this...but at least he is OK...and I do not want him making his situation worse....but nevertheless.....DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!!!!!!

Deck the Halls....not

2008-11-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

OK...so everyone around me who celebrates Christmas has begun (and some have even finished) decorating their homes for Christmas....not us...not yet...

Why? Well, because I want to enjoy the Fall/Thanksgiving decorations we have in our house for a few days longer....I like the wreath (the size of a Truck tire) I made...the welcome signs my husband and daughter made, the decorations on the mantle, the pumpkins on top of the china cabinet, dish hutch, and kitchen cabinets, the swags above the windows, the seasonal kleenex box J made, the centerpiece we made, and the small tablecloths I made.....they are just too cute to take down yet....

I have often felt that Thanksgiving is "the forgotten holiday"....there it is--squashed between Halloween and Christmas....two very lucrative holidays for businesses....just sitting there all demure and quiet...It is due to this factoid we decided to give this wonderful holiday it's due and decorate the house up for it (all the way down to tablecloths for the dining table, kitchen towels and potholders, and fingertip towels in the guest [and still unfinished] bathroom).

But take them down I must....and take them down I will....or rather we will. Yup, this week they will come down to be replaced by Christmas decorations they match up to item for item.

I guess this comes from having so darn much to be grateful for.....(continued writing about that to follow)...that I not only firmly believe that I need/must take time to say what I am thankful for (and why) but I must show this noble holiday the respect and love I feel it is owed to it.....after all, anything or anyone that gives me a chance to pause and reflect on all I have been blessed with deserves this...and so much more....

Till next year, my dearest Thanksgiving.....I will continue to count my blessings and thus give myself days full of blessings to live in.....

More Thankfullness....

2008-11-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

Kalli and Stephan.....the next subject of my writing.....and what can I say?

I have known these kids since they were 6 and 4 (respectively).....I was their Sunday School Teacher...and at first I thought they were weird.....let me elaborate.....since our church was small there were not that many children of one age group to make up a class....so it was decided to combine age groups....I ended up teaching the youngest group, which included Kalli and Stephan. Now Stephan is 6' 5" tall, but back then he was a very tall 4 year old.....and for some reason I had to stop and untangle him from his folding chair about 15 times in a matter of 45 minutes. I remember thinking "geez...this kid is something else....and I am so glad he is not mine!" Kalli, on the other hand, kept interrupting me....and talking to others the entire time of the class....she just would not shut up! And I mean she would just get up and go around to me or the other kids and just talk into our faces.....OMG!!

Boy, oh boy how things have changed....I could not love these kids more if they were my own. As I started dating their father (a story in and of itself!) I got to know them and their lives....I would listen to their hopes and dreams....and be drawn into their lives...so that by the time their father and I married, we were ready to become our own little cool unit.....

Stephan, I have seen you grow up into the young man I had always pictured you becoming.....your intelligence and poise are only matched by you kindness to small children, animals, your family, and especially your father.....it is clear in your eyes how much you love him (at least it is to me). You have become such a responsible husband....I see the way you take care of your wife....I hope she knows how very blessed she is to have you in her life...

Kalli, I guess I know you better than Stephan since you have lived with us the longest. I have heard you tell me of the trials of your childhood, your desire to live with your father when you were younger, and so many, many other personal things.... I have felt the sorriest for you, because so many things that little girls learn from their mother you were never taught....and when you entered adulthood it showed....so I guess it fell to me (by God's hand) to teach you....so I have had to be abrupt and (often-times) strict with you so that I can get all the learning you should have gotten when you were younger into you right now.....after all, none of us knows how long we will be on this planet and I want to make sure I have gotten you caught up with others of your age.....I admit to being hampered by your blindness (although I have learned to use it to our advantage--after all, if you bring a cane to church with you on Christmas and Easter services you are guaranteed of getting in and out of the building faster than most--the crowds just clear the way....but I digress)....yet I am proud of your progress....that is why I crow and go on and on when you get a compliment on your behavior (based on what I have taught you)....my parents did that....and I have seen others do it. And although at the time I saw it I could not understand it, now I do....for when your child succeeds because they took the time to listen to you, you feel a pride that is difficult to put into words....

I could not love these kids more if I had given birth to them.....and if there is a love that only birth children and their parents feel then I cannot imagine the intensity of it....since what I feel for these kids is pretty intense itself....I still get up at night and check on Kalli in bed (surrounded by her stuffed animals and pets)....I still worry till she lets me know she got to work safely....I still insist that when she goes out of the house (when we are not home) she calls me before and after she goes out the door (even if it is just going into the backyard)....I still review in my mind what Kalli wears before she goes off to work....isn't this what parents do? It is what mine did....

I am so very grateful to have these kids in my life...and look forward to growing old with them still in it.....they have made things fun, interesting, and more meaningful for me...they have shown me my mortality and have given me hope that a part of me will still live on in the world after I am gone....the part of me that took the time to teach them what had been taught to me by my parents and grandparents.... if I do have a regret, it is that they did not have what they needed from their mom....if I do have a fear, it is that I may not have taught them all they needed to know....

I love these kids dearly....