Merry Christmas!

This evening we celebrated, "post sun down" as defined by our archdiocese, the joyous event of Christmas Eve. I worked the two Masses I was assigned of course with children, and there was some craziness with the celebrations that I'd say only a select few noted once we got started, which is optimal. My role is usually behind the scenes and I hold my breath through most of it. When the Masses came to their ends, everything had sailed without much of a hiccup.

But it struck me that with all the getting ready, finishing out classes, and then all the hyperness of the Masses, did I welcome Jesus? How do I even do that when throughout the Mass I'm preoccupied with what's coming next and scouting for trouble to head it off at the pass? That was the question that bopped around my head, and I was quite frustrated by it. Then tonight, this morning I guess, I realized a big part of it for me is letting go of formalities as I've defined them, and welcoming friends, letting His love in through the eyes, expressions and hugs from others. That's where I'm finding Christ-mas. That's how I welcome Him into my heart.

May all our hearts, open to receive Him and do something with that love to benefit others.

Haven't blogged or emailed in forever...again. Did finally catch up on my best friend's blog and found this quiz...stay away from Mt. Dew - Oh no! I can't have been myself when answering those questions.

You Are 7 Up

Understated and subtle, people warm up to you slowly. But once they're hooked, they can't imagine going back to anyone else! Your best soda match: Diet Coke Stay away from: Mountain Dew

What Kind of Soda Are You?

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

My sister has been asking for this recipe for the past week. Check the previous post ; )
So here is the listing based on a recipe submitted by Helen Reynolds found in Vegetables section of the Chartiers-Houston Community Library Cook Book of 1990, Houston Pennsylvania. You won't believe what's in the Miscellaneous section!

(I of course have made some changes, starting with the title.)

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
1 regular sized bag frozen broccoli crowns
1 cup "Minute" rice or other rice (but why take the time?)
1 cup minced to chopped onion (two words - 1. food 2. processor)
2 regular cans cream of mushrooms (not the hugemongous family sized things)
1 jar of "Cheez Whiz" (you can use the lower fat too, but seriously why?)
Colby jack shredded cheese for topping

Cook the rice, place in large bowl-enough to mix all the above ingredients. Saute the onion in a couple of tablespoons of butter. Mix the rice, Cheez Whiz, mushroom soup, onions and broccoli together and put into a sprayed 9 x13 casserole. Scatter the shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes or until it's all bubbly and goldenesque on the top. Let cool slightly before serving.
(It's always better the next day - so says my husband.)

***My version is a doubled version of the first, and it's gotta look and feel right. As you might have guessed, I'm not much into recipes, so best if you come by my house and watch me make it, then try it at your house!

The original recipe also calls for 1 cup chopped celery, one stick margarine into the mix, and slivered almonds on the top with the cheese, but I don't remember Jeff's Auntie Ann putting that stuff in, so I don't either, but if you want to, go right ahead.

She was right, I was...wrong.

It's been forever since I've posted. My "wife" today told me I only check my mail like once a week and was kind enough not to mention the last time I posted. I of course said "NAHHHHH" I check my home email way more than that...but she was right. I haven't had the inclination to check when I've gotten home, it's been late and dinner and dishes and....we don't even have kids. Well not any little ones...

But I'm going to try to keep up mostly because 68 emails is a lot to take at one time, but the spam blocker thank God works well! Unlike the one at work where we average 68 emails a day! And most of them are for stock options and male enhancements. I don't even look at the subject lines anymore.

So in readying the "wife's" blog, which I do much more often than post to my own, I saw this quiz. Good news for all you friends out there. Not looking so hot for my current work vocation...

Which Positive Quality Are You? Your Result: Love You are Love. Love is the glue that binds us all together. The love of family, the love of friends, the love between husbands and their wives--these things form the foundation of our happiness, our security, and our comfort. "All you need is love."
Friendship
Courage
Charity
Peace
Faith
Which Positive Quality Are You?

Other notes:

For those of you who know Mom, she's doing much better. Getting along with the walker well and starting to go back to physical therapy. Each day is an adventure and my new phrase is..."I'm a ray of sunshine." O.K. it's really "I'm just a freak'n ray of sunshine" while forcing a smile. But it's a smile : )

I am planning on driving the streets of our fair hamlet looking for the Christmas lights, photographing them and sharing them on the blog. I've seen some doozies (how do you spell that word anyway?)

I've taken to cantoring at the funerals this week- singing for the dead - Yep that's my new avocation! Like I "needed something else to do" - that was from my staff. "Finally, I get to tell her what to do"- from our Music Minister! Seriously, I enjoy working out the vocal muscles again, remembering that I really can sing and if burying the dead is a spiritual work of mercy, then I figure singing for them, well that's just icing on the "works cake"!

Jon Bon Jovi

is so right!
"i've been there, done that, i ain't looking that it's been a long long road feels like i've never left, that's how the story goes."

I was just giving directions to friend who's visiting Steubenville University in OH with his high school senior daughter. They have a few hours to kill tomorrow before the plane trip back and he wanted to know what were "the not to miss things to do in Pittsburgh." I thought of an incline ride and a view from Mount Washington or the Carnegie Museum or the Strip District (not that kind of strip) and then went on-line to get him directions with actual street names, as I navigate by land marks. Good if you live some place and are familiar, a recipe for getting very lost if you're not.

As this friend is uberefficient, he was looking at a detailed map while talking with me, and the first land mark he mentioned, was Magee Women's Hospital where my sister and I were birthed. And I was caught up in wave of bitter sweet homesickness that was almost palatable. My mind started racing back through my life, being little living in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill, the Jewish section of town. I remembered my dad carrying me on my shoulders, down the hill past Poli's to a great little Jewish deli for bagels and lox. Talking about sights in the Golden Triangle (where the three rivers come together ) reminded me where my dad parked his car for like 20 years along the river that would get flooded out, but never flooded where he parked because he'd studied the flood plane. It was risky, but "if you investigate and pay attention you can save yourself $5 week." He'd tell us. The semiannual treks to "down town" on the bus to visit dad at his office and go to lunch at the Top of the Triangle or some other really cool restaurant. And as I made these comments with joy and some tears in my voice, my friend said " it sounds like you had a lot of good times with your dad growing up."

I began thinking that a big part of a place always being home is not so much the place itself, but the people you were with when you lived there. As I type this tears are flowing down my face, because after I got off the phone I remembered the last place I was with my dad - Allegheny Cemetery. I like living where we do now and we've been blessed with so many wonderful friends, and experiences we wouldn't have had if we'd have stayed at home... but it's nice to know that in the span of one conversation "you can take the home from the girl, but not the girl from her home."

Political Junkie

I just can't help myself. I should be in bed asleep. I have a meeting downtown tomorrow, but it's like a guilty pleasure. Maybe it's the seasons of "The West Wing", but this race for the Senate has captured my interest. And it's not just because the Democrats have won the House. Although it certainly is a plus.

(O.K. for the record I am listed as a Republican, which is the party I choose at 18, because my grandmother said we had to be Republicans to break the political machine in Pittsburgh! It made me feel all Norma Rae...)

That aside, I think what's putting "the jam in my jelly roll", so to speak is that I have witnessed the huge lines of people waiting to vote all day. It started this morning, voting in our little precinct house when I had to wait 50 minutes and continued in the afternoon when my husband topped my wait at an hour. Then, we have polling at the parish hall and all day it was non stop; can't get a parking space; parking in the grass and up the circle; wall to wall cars. Every time I looked out my office window it was a steady line of bodies across the front glass doors. That stir of patriotism even if it's of the "disgruntled get the bums out of office" type of patriotism of which my boss is not fond, has me jazzed. And might I just say, and well yes I think I will, a woman as Speaker of the House! YES!!! You know that's what - two seats from the presidency? And today with what all goes on it's pretty possible, pretty possible indeed. I think my estrogen is doing tiny, yet meaningful victory laps around my ovaries.

We've had a visit from...Flat Stanley!

We've been host to a wonderful "guest" - Flat Stanley - on here from New Hampshire. He's been a delight and loves to meet new people and explore new places...check out what he's been up to.

"I wonder if I should get a job while I'm here, free lunches?"

Flat Stanley meets the Fishman twins Mabel and Bleu!

"Dinner out and your treat! I'm there."

Solving the problems of the day...

"There's nothing like a ride in the country! Hey girls, where are my headphones?"

"Lullaby and Good Night...let sleeping dogs lie I always say, especially that Chloe!"

"How do I get myself into these things? Nice bear..."

"Just a little higher please."

"Now these are my kind of people."

" Sweet tea...yummy, thanks for sharing!"

"A football game - awesome! I hope I can get to the concession stands at half time."

"I've had a great time, but it's time to head back to N.H....on the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again... Good bye!"

Just finished

I feel like I've been gone from the blog scene for forever, here's some ramblings, catch-up and thoughts.

Just finished revising the size of all the pictures being used in a power point for Wed All Saints event. Promises to be a lot of fun 4:30-6:30pm. With a parade of saints into the Mass at 7p.

Shout out of thanks to Begs for the digital photo book for my b-day. It's coming in quite handy already.

Mom is still recuperating at the rehab facility. Visits, phone calls and cards are all welcome. The other day she hopped three feet one way and three feet in return using the walker. Big progress. They're going to work on her getting up the two steps into the house and transferring from the wheel chair to the bed etc. and when she comes home hopefully will feel and be much more confident in her movements. Still not sure if we'll need in home health care, but I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it : )

Got to meet our new goddaughter today and hold her....dubbed her "Sweet Pea". Her mom says she called her the same name at the doctor's office the other day and it took with the staff there too. She's a sweetie!

On the trying to relax front -
Vacation at the beach. Cute hotel, good weather, lots of " on the beach time" - a chair, umbrella and a good murder mystery....ah.

Went to the Falcon's Steelers game - the Steelers lost, guess how relaxing that was? Great seats though.

Went on a trek to a pumpkin patch with friends and hit an apple orchard on the way home. It was so exciting, I know nerd, but I picked out a like 1/2 bushel of apples...so the pies, dumpling and sauce are on their way. Rome Beauties, Granny Smith's, Fugis, Wine Saps, Golden Delicious and the much touted Pink Ladies...Exquisite. Thank you Judes for turning me on to world of apples!

Reading the second book of a new mystery series, The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde. They're Nursery Crime Division based on Nursery Rhyme characters and blended with modern day detecting, amusing and some what literary worth while. First One is the Big Over Easy - Humpty Dumpty he didn't just have a great fall...

Have a few pumpkins to carve - Maude, Phillip and Murphy - gigantic to petitest.

It's the day of Halloween and I still haven't caught one vampire flick - B movie or otherwise...such a waste. You can keep your Freddie Krugers, Jasons, Carries and assorted other horror flick characters, but there's just something about a good vampire flick that entertains in that "keeps you up with the lights on all night" but boy you enjoyed the picture kind of way. Maybe it's all the Freudian influences or the kind of like the thrill of riding the roller coaster, or death drop at the amusement park, you know you'll be scared and you just can't wait for it or maybe that Frank Langela is just hunky? Best for Scariest even thought it's from the pre talkie era is Nosferatu....chilling

Seriously I've always loved the spooky, carving the pumpkin, dressing up and trick or treating that was Halloween. And as an adult, add not having to cook an elaborate meal for family like some of the other holidays on our social calendar. Even the year my mom dressed me and my sister up as twin born 5 years apart, green Martian bunnies - glorified green fleece footy pajamas, but I loved it. So what's your favorite just for the fun of it holiday and why?

Ah, the joys of homeownership

I am finally beginning to give in to this house and really try to get it painted and some changes, cosmetic mostly to make it some place I actually want to live.

I went out to buy some frames for some really great old pictures that were unearthed recently- early 19oo's etc. I was searching for just the right look to make the pictures pop and keep the money under control so I could do all of them at once. I was planning to go back to Hobby Lobby to take advantage of the 50% sale on said frames that ends tomorrow. But I forgot one thing that when all is well, beware the Fates. In the bathroom while performing my nightly ablutions, I noticed that in front of our circa 1978 toilet, we had a small light blue lake. A delightful find when one is wandering through the forest, but in front of one's commode at 1am, it lacks that air of discovery.

Now for those of you that know me, dealing with the porcelain god this is enough to throw me into a complete tiz, but add to that the cheap floor tile the previous owner had laid down three and a half years ago which is now bubbling up, and well, I lost it.

My husband comes home and I am in the midst of my cleaning and sanitizing said area, and he asks me..."Whatcha doin' babe?" An innocuous question if I'm sitting reading a book, but at 1am in the bathroom, with the arsenal of cleaning equipment assembled...well, I realize it's moments like this that I'm glad we're married in the Church, bonded by Christ in a sacramental relationship, because if we were living together...I mean what really holds those relationships together?

Anyway I rant digressively, tomorrow we go to the local home emporium to peruse toilets and flooring material and then try to decide if we can DYI or hire someone. And I tackle with the fact that though the design sense is grand plans, the budget is meager chic. I'll need some kind of tranquilizers before this project is through.

I tried beta and came back

I tried the Beta Version and felt limited. My b.F. had a point, "you've gone to beta and you haven't even figured out how to use the original version?" When she's right, she's right.

Besides, when she or I wanted to post a comment in each other's blogs, we had to log in as anonymous. Who wants that?

I'm going to keep both for a little while, then switch over to this one. Easier to post and hey who can argue with their best friend?