Chick-Fil-A Song by Tim Hawkins

This made me LOL out loud!  (Monk fans will know this reference)  I had to share it!
Don't forget to support Chick-Fil-A today (Buycott)!

Happy Halloween!

I know, I know, it's All Saints' Day now, but it was so fun I had to share.  My kids dressed up and went to the carnival at our parish school Saturday night.  There were all kinds of games.  My youngest son's favorite was candy corn bowling--he is obsessed with bowling.  He was, after all, dressed as a bowling ball! (The costume probably cost $4!)  He was devastated when we returned to the game after having gone to the costume contest and they had switched out candy corn bowling for a cone ring toss game.  I'll have to find one of those darn things for him.  He was surprisingly good at the tossing games.  I can only guess that is because he has a basketball hoop, and he has been playing catch with his dad.

Speaking of costumes...my oldest went as a "Steam punk" scientist, costing around $6 for a vest from the second hand store and a pair of spats made of white felt.  The rest of the costume he already had on hand.  My second son was the joker.  His was the most expensive.  I bought a shirt, tie, and 2 green shirts that I cut up to make Joker's green vest.  It cost around $15.  My third son was some sort of gaming character, costing around $10.  My daughter's hippie costume cost me around $5.  Her costume won second place in her category (6-8 grades).  So, all in all not a bad Halloween, and everyone got to dress up as the character they wanted.  They all got their pictures taken as a souvenir of the night--they were free!

Trick or treating tonight was interesting.  I would say about 1 house in 10 had its porch light on, and of those on, 1 in 4 did not answer the door.  It is hard to explain all that to an anxious 6yo bowling ball.  His older sister wanted to go another street but he just wanted to go home.  I got him to compromise, but he complain half-way round the loop home.  Just so you all know...don't sit in your dark driveway in a black hooded robe if you actually want the kids to come to your house.  I don't know about other people's kids, but mine don't particularly want to be scared by a complete stranger in the dark.

Oh, and one neighbor said, "And don't forget to celebrate Christmas."  Huh?  Does one exclude the other?  Not really.  Halloween is actually the Eve of All Saints' Day and has been a Christian celebration for centuries--not always with costumes and candy mind you but a celebration none-the-less.  It was similar to Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas, when people get together, eat a big meal then go to midnight Mass for Christmas and open presents in the wee hours of the morning.  The man's comment just struck me as rather silly.  Halloween was never a celebration of witches and monsters.  It is actually a way of making fun of them and contrasting the silliness of them with the wonderful lives of the holy people we call saints.  Anyway, a Christian CAN celebrate both.  It is perfectly legitimate and perfectly alright.

It struck me as kind of silly, too, that I was carrying about 2-3 pounds of candy in my son's sack, while at home my husband was passing out about the same amount at home.  Silly custom, isn't it?  But the children have such a good time, I haven't the heart to not go.

I found Ben & Jerry's site tonight and got obsessed with some of the fun games on the site.  They have a Halloween section but I'm not sure if it will still be there tomorrow.  I'm going to watch out for Thanksgiving or Christmas games.  Thanks Ben & Jerry's!

Now--Don't forget to go to Mass tomorrow (today).  It IS a holy day of obligation.  That means all good Catholics must attend Mass.  You do realize it is for your own soul's health.  Jesus loves you and wants to see you there!  God bless!  Have a blessed All Saints Day!

We Care About Your Life Why? (or My April Rant)

I cannot believe the plethora of reality shows polluting the television channels now.  I was watching a movie that I really like on WE of all channels.  They were advertising their spring line-up exclusively made up of 8 or 10 "reality" shows.  Do all those people really believe we want to watch their lousy, raunchy lives, just because they have money?   Few of them have any manners, let alone any idea of civility.  Oh, and the modesty, where is the modesty?  Do these people really believe that people want to watch their foul-mouthed, rude, amoral, sometimes immoral antics? 

I confess, I do watch such 'reality' TV shows as Project Runway (never let my kids watch it since their are typically many gays on this one), Top Chef (don't let my kids watch this one since their are typical many lesbians on this one), Chopped (don't let my kids watch this one since...well, you get the idea), Food Network Challenge, The Apprentice (now Celebrity Apprentice) etc.  But looking at my choices, they are in reality (no pun intended) mostly competition shows.  I stopped watching soap operas decades ago, I don't want to watch somebody else airing their lives as some kind of soap.  It is not that interesting to me. 

Real life is complicated and hard.  We struggle with money, homeschooling, house and cars, and health and dental problems with the kids.  We struggle to do the right thing and help each other and our children get to Heaven.  Why would I want to watch you, who has millions of dollars, squander it on overpriced, unstylish clothes, ugly hair, ugly nails, gaudy jewelry, and gas guzzling cars you didn't earn.  Many are just famous for being famous (Paris Hilton comes immediately to mind) but really live quite sad, pathetic, empty lives.

My reality is quite enough for me.  My 12yo was upset Sunday.  He said, "It is against the commandment to keep the Lord's Day holy to do unnecessary work.  Why do I have to do the dishes?"  I tried not to laugh as I explained to him that dishes were necessary to eat off on Sunday just like any other day of the week.  Yep, how is that for a child throwing their Faith back in your face.  Reality TV?  Who needs it?  I really need to watch less TV.

Like a Good Neighboor...

No, I'm not writing about an insurance company this time...

I tried to get my teenagers to mow the lawn before noon when it really gets hot.  It was already 94 at 10 AM.  My 15 yo went out about that time to "prove" to his brother that the thick, long back yard could be mowed.  The argument lasting the 20 minutes it took me to go to the hardware store and back for trimmer string.  My oldest mowed the back yard.  By then it was after 1130.  It was now my 13 yo son's turn to mow the front.  First thing he does?  Yell at his brother for putting the lawn mower away.  It took him a full 15 minutes to get the lawn mower around to the front, find a hat, wet the hat, get the mower in just the right starting place, and...start the mower.  It took a while with the 'mulching' push lawn mower to cut the thick, high grass (did I mention we've had more rain this summer than the last three combined?).  He had to stop frequently to let the grass out from under the blades.  Then low and behold, our neighbor Walt came riding by on his lawn mower.  At that moment, I was struggling to restart the mower then realizing it needed gas, sent my son for the gas can.  Walt thought the mower was not working, rode up over the curb, and started circling our lawn.  Not only did he mow the half my son hadn't gotten to yet, but mowed what he had.  It took him all of 20 minutes to mow our whole front yard.  I looks terrific and I can't thank him enough.  It has been a long week and I am weary in body and mind.  It was nice to have just a little help from a good neighbor. 

[16th century Dutch painting called 'The Master of the Good Samaritan' in the Utrecht Museum.  Picture is in the public domain.]

In the System

Today, I had the dubious pleasure of delving into the dark world of our government-run insurance company.  Let me start off with the preface that my oldest has diabetes melitus (for those who don't know that is type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes).  It is (at this time) incurable, but can be managed with daily monitoring and insulin.  He has to see his endocrinologist four times a year, but in our insurance company's infinite wisdom he is still required to get a referral from his "primary care doctor" once a year.  Well, I just got a bill from his endocrinologist because the insurance company did not pay a red cent to him for my son's care.  What is the first thing I do?  I called the doctor's billing office.  I thought I'd check to make sure that they had submitted the bill to the insurance company before I called.  They don't work on Friday.  So, I called the insurance company directly.  Well, the rude person on the other end of the phone felt it her job to talk to me as if I were five and inform me not only was there no referral "in the system" but that I would need to go to his primary care physician and my local insurance company's office to get one.   I said, "Thank you," and hung up the phone before I said something very unchristian.  Well, after trying several local numbers for the insurance company and the medical clinic where my son's primary physician works, I decided to go there and find a real person to talk to.  First I went to the pediatric clinic where my son's doctor works.  The lady who worked there was very helpful but could not see any reason why there was no referral "in the system" but she could not find it either.  I explained that his last primary doctor said he would take care of it, and in my experience with him, he always did what he said he would.  She had another nice lady check to see if a referral had been ordered and put "in the system."  Well....she produced a piece of paper that said that his doctor had put in the referral. 

Next, I need to go to the insurance company's office down the hall.  I went to "referral management" first but she said I need to go to the other office in the next hallway.  I went to that office and she seemed happy enough to help.  She, condescendingly, told me that there was no referral "in the system."  That piece of paper said that a referral was to be put "in the system" but is not proof that is it indeed was put "in the system."  She would do me the favor of putting in an exception request just for the appointment he had over a month ago, because there was no referral "in the system."  She went on to explain how it was my responsibility to make sure that the referral had gone through.  Let get this straight--I took him to his primary doctor like I was told to do--I filled out all the paperwork I was told to--the doctor put in the request, in April mind you--that request somehow did not get "in the system"-- and I was responsible for it not being "in the system" because I didn't notice that I didn't get a piece of paper in the mail that tells me it went through.  Riiiiigggghhhhtttt.  It is all my fault.  So, after controlling my self very well, I went back to the "referral management" office.  The lady there (thanks Jean, if you ever see this) looked "in the system" to see if it was there.  Apparently, someone had tapped on a keyboard somewhere about the referral because there were "notes" on it "in the system."  However, "for some reason" there was no referral "in the system."  So, she said she will put it "in the system" and make sure it is back dated.  I have her number now to make sure it is "in the system" on Tuesday.  Because, after all, it is my responsibility to see that it is "in the system", even though I did everything I was supposed to do.  If that three hours of mental torture is not good for some time in Purgatory, I don't know what is.  Please God, don't make me ever go there again.

To My Reader in Louisville, Kentucky

Thanks for stopping by.  Now, get back to work!

Love ya, Hon...

For anyone else reading along, I know is my husband stopping by every day, sometimes more than once. 

"1930's Marital Scale" Quiz

I scored 90!!! Whoo hoo. What does that mean? That I'm just old fashioned??? It was fun. Give it a try.

90 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Trick or Treat

Wow! You gotta see this guy!

On being a conservative Republican...



Why he's voting for McCain/Palin and why NOT to vote Democrat...



I can't figure out why this one won't embed properly. Just click on the title of the video and it should take you to myspace tv to see his video. It is worth seeing.

Black & White on the Grey Matters (Jermiah Wright)


I would like to post more but I'd like to watch them first. I also don't want to turn my blog into a political one--oops, too late. He's got more of these videos on My Space TV and You Tube. Go look 'Twenty Pound Sledge' up.

My Austen Personality Result

I took the quiz and this is how I came out. I'm not sure if I agree but it is fun, nonetheless.

Take the Quiz here!

This is Fun

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Pun intended

I stole these but I just had to pass them on.


1. I went to a seafood disco last week. and pulled a mussel.

2. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony
wasn't much, but the reception was great.

3.. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you,
but don't start anything."

4. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were
nothing to look at either.

5. Patient: "I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'"

Doctor: "That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."

Patient: "Is it common?"

Doctor: "It's Not Unusual."

6. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly,
"I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe you", says
Dolly. "It's true, no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

7. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the
craft. It sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat
it too.

8. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in
the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour,
the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why,"
they asked, as they moved off. "Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts
boasting in an open foyer."

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which
produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little
which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad
breath. This made him... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by
halitosis.

And #1 Top Ten Worst Puns for the week is.
10. And finally, there was a person who sent 10 different puns to his
friends, with the hope that at least 1 of the puns would make them laugh. No
pun in ten did.

The History of Father's Day

by Cheri Sicard

While many people believe that Father's Day is a holiday invented by the fine folks at Hallmark, it's not so. The celebration of Dad's special day can most likely be credited to Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington State, who first suggested the idea of the holiday in 1909.

Mrs. Dodd's father, civil war veteran William Smart, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child. Despite the obvious hardships, Mr. Smart proceeded to raise the newborn along with his five other children, by himself.

It wasn't until Sonora Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. The original date chosen for the holiday was June 5, Mr. Smart's birthday, however the celebration was postponed until June 19, the third Sunday in June, because there was not enough time to prepare.

At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to celebrate a Father's Day. Some accounts credit Mrs. Charles Clayton of West Virginia, as the founder of Father's Day, although most histories give credit to Mrs. Dodd.

In early times, wearing flowers was a traditional way of celebrating Father's Day. Mrs. Dodd favored the red rose to honor a father still living, while a white flower honored a deceased dad. J.H. Berringer, who also held Father's Day celebrations in Washington State as early as 1912, chose a white lilac as the Father's Day Flower.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day, but it never became official until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the presidential proclamation that set aside the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

I'm a Hot Fudge Sundae

This is no surprise to anyone who really knows me.

You Are a Hot Fudge Sundae

Classic, simple, and divine. Why mess with perfection?

What Kind of Sundae Are You?

Handmotions is Heaven

I had to share this. It is so funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTfrqAqShfQ&feature=related

The Chocolate Oracle says...

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

You are sweet, mellow, and easily satisfied. You don't like anything too intense and dramatic. Deep down, you're a kid at heart... and you're nostalgic for the past. You are passionate and full of life. You fall in love easily, and you tend to have whirlwind relationships. Your passion sometimes does get the better of you. You have a crazy temper! You love to be in love. You crave romance, whether you're single or not. You feel lost when you don't feel passion... you need someone to adore.

The Chocolate Oracle

Church Bulletins

They're Back! Those Wonderful Church Bulletins! Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (Summer, 2006 Release).
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.'
The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'
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Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
----------------------------------- ------ -----------------
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday : 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'.

God says, "Wait just a second..."

A man is talking to God. The conversation is as follows:

Man: What's a million years like to you?

God: It would be like a second to you.

Man: What's a million dollars like to you?

God: It would be like a penny to you.

Man: Good, Can I have one of your pennies?

God: Yeah, sure...just a second...