guilty pleasures...

I look forward to this time of year for many reasons, but I have to confess, this is one of my major weaknesses!  

I love love love love love Reese's peanut butter eggs!  Yes, the pb cups are quite good, they can get me through the rest of the year, but there is something about the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in the eggs that exceed all their other products by a landslide!!  I can't, nor do I want to, eat just one!

or for that matter, two!  I do have to muster up some serious will power to not down an entire bag of them!  If I didn't have to look half decent for my sister's wedding, I'd be on at least my second bag this far into the season, but I am exercising some restraint!

I you haven't tried them, I strongly recommend a trip to the store!  You won't be sorry!  Your waistline might not thank you, but your taste buds will, I promise!!!

Writers Workshop....

I love these writers workshops that "Mama's Losin' It" does!  Always a wide variety of topics to choose from - some more challenging than others, some that I would never touch - at least not out here in bloggyland!  This week I chose one that I think could get interesting and as I start, I have no idea where it will take me!!

List 10 things you can do in 3 minutes.... I assume that she meant 3 minutes each and not 3 minutes total for all 10 things!  At least that's the spin I'm taking - hope that's ok Kat!!!

1.  prep the coffee pot and get it brewing at the beginning of the morning

2. "quietly" remind everybody that they are going to miss the bus - 100 times!

3. check my email

4. say a decade of the rosary - on a good day - otherwise, maybe 5 minutes!

5. check my voicemail

6. put on my makeup

7. look at my daily calendar and get overwhelmed

8. look at my to do list and acknowledge that I will never get to it all in one day

9. leave my sister a voice mail at home, on her cell and at work and never actually talk to her!

10. pull clothes out of the dryer (not yet folded), put the stuff from the washer into the dryer and start it, load the washer and start it!!

perhaps it would be easier to say what I CAN'T do in 3 minutes!!

1. drink my first cup of coffee

2. decide what to cook for dinner

3. have a conversation with any of my girls

4. have a conversation with my sister

5. write a blog entry

6. drive Little S to school every day since she won't ride the bus!

7. take a shower

8. decide what to wear for the day

9. fold the laundry fresh out of the dryer

10. decide on a movie at Blockbuster

Ok, that's good!!

my blog is all messed up

I just have to say that my blog is all messed up!  Things keep posting a day or two earlier than they are supposed to.  Every once in a while I sit down and write a couple entries at a time and this week everything is haywire!!  Is anyone else having that problem????

life weighing you down??

I've decided this is how I'm weighing myself from now on!  I think this lady has the right idea!  Why is it that our society is so focused on weight?  Now I don't mean serious weight issues that affect your health - that answer is obvious, I mean size 2 vs 10?  Why is thin so in?  There are cultures that admire the curves of a woman - they see it as a sign that they are healthy and able to bear children!  I spent my youth being quite underweight - yes, it's true, underweight!  Now, 3 kids later, married to a man who not only likes to cook, but is good at it!  Those size 4s left my closet an incredibly long time ago and the next time they show up in my washing machine, they will belong to one of my daughters!  What does a real woman look like?  What should she look like?  I'm not talking about a single 20 something who has nothing but time on her hands to workout and cook "perfect" meals, I mean those of us middle age (yes, I said it) ladies who have some life under our belts (literally!).  The reality is that our youth is hard on our older bodies - the wear and tear and abuse we put them through in our 20s is showing up, and it's not always pretty!  Remember sunbathing with baby oil (heaven forbid!!), the freshman 15 that consisted of beer and pizza,  bras that were about looking pretty rather than giving "the twins" the support they deserved.... the list could go on forever!!  I am starting over - starting fresh - the new me - curves and all!  Sure I'm going to make some changes - necessary and overdue - but I'm not going to shoot for that 20 or even 30 year old body that I used to have - I'm shooting for that 40 something woman with a life body!  Anyone care to join me?

The feast of St. Joseph

Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, husband to our Blessed Mother Mary, and one of my favorite saints!  Reflecting of St. Joseph's life can really bring me to a place of wonder.  Can you imagine having your betrothed come to you and say that she was pregnant (not yours, that you know for certain) and that the Holy Spirit came to her and told her that she was carrying the Son of God?  That has to be a tough one to understand and accept even for the most devout among us.  Joseph wasn't perfect, it took him a little while and even a little heavenly visit to get him all the way to acceptance, but certainly he got there much faster than most of us would, and then he was totally on board!  Just imagine the awesome responsibility of raising the son of God - you don't want to screw that one up now do you?  His life is one of hard work, devotion to his wife and son and a strong faith that led him through some seriously tough times.   He really relied on God to lead him and then he stepped up and led his family.  No wonder he is the patron saint of fathers among other thing!

St. Joseph's day is celebrated around the world, but it is especially beloved by the Italians and since I married into an Italian family, I'm trying to learn more about the feast day traditions!  I know that one big thing is St. Joseph cakes, which in our area are impossible to find, so there is always the internet to hunt out cook recipes!  One on my favorite blogs is Catholic Cuisine www.catholiccuisine.blogspot.com .  She always has an abundance of recipes and celebration ideas for every imaginable catholic holiday, so check her out!!

If you are interested in learning more about this amazing man check out this link... http://www.ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/J/stjoseph.asp  and a novena to St. Joesph is at http://www.ewtn.com/Devotions/novena/joseph.htm .

I hope you have a fabulous feast of St. Joseph!

Luck o' the Irish

It's that time of the year again!!  Time for green beer - often in excess, black and blue bruises left behind after those little pinches inflicted on those who forgot to wear green, and the one day out of the year that everyone and their brother claims to have direct family ties to that tiny little island across the pond!

I can remember as a child spending hours in the backyard or a field searching for that illusive four leaf clover - almost as hard to find as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!  Or perhaps catching that little guy on the Lucky Charms box!!

How many of you know what the 3 leaves of the clover really stand for?  The Holy Trinity of course!  I wonder what the 4th leaf stand for then....

Dear St.Patrick, the guy that this whole day is named after... how many of you knew that he was actually Italian?  It's true!  He moved to Ireland and fell hopelessly in love with the land and it's people!  He is a super cool saint - you should google him!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!!!

passionate?

What are you passionate about?  You hear that question often throughout your life from a variety of people and certainly your answers change from time to time, dependent upon your age, your stage in life and your current circumstance.  What are YOU passionate about?  Can you come up with 5 things? 10?  Rise to the challenge, be honest, search deep inside...

1. I am passionate about my children.  The 3 couldn't be more different, but daily I am amazed how much I adore them and how badly I want them to have the most wonderful lives, without pain and disappointment - not realistic, but a mother can dream can't she?

2. I am passionate about my marriage.  Hubby and I started out as good friends in college - even double dated (weird huh?), it wasn't until a couple years later that we got back in touch and I had made the decision to stop dating the wrong kind of guy for myself and then, boom, there he was!  God just waited until I was ready to put us together!  Life isn't always easy, but it has been an adventure and I am so glad to be sharing it with him!

3. I am passionate about my faith.  I was raised Presbyterian - going to church and sunday school, but religion wasn't a part of our daily life.  It wasn't until after we were married and expecting Big S that I decided to become catholic - I haven't regretted that decision for a second!  I was drawn to Catholicism because of the sense of community and the comfort I found in all the rituals.  I had no idea how true I would find those perceptions to be or how much they would come to mean to me!  I have really grown the most in my faith in the last 5 years and it is an important part of my daily life and has changed the way I look at everything.  

4. I am passionate about photography.  I have always loved taking pictures and I remember getting my first camera around 4th grade - one of those great 110s!  I took lots of pictures during our school trip to Williamsburg and Jamestown!  Over the last several decades I have developed my skills - lots of practice with 3 gorgeous little girls running around all the time!  I turned pro a little over a year ago which has forced me to work on other aspects that I may have pursued otherwise and I am really enjoying it!!

5. I am passionate about beautiful sunny spring days.  There is nothing like those first few days of spring - you can't help but smile!  I love to roll down the windows, blast some great music and soak it all in!  I hate the cold and gray days so when spring truly arrives, I feel alive again!  I love to get out in the yard and do some planting and see the first buds on the trees and flowers trying to peek out of the ground after a long winter nap!

6. I am passionate about my friends.  I would put my sister at the top of that list (she probably should get her own #, but I'm going to keep her here for the moment).  There are only a handful of people in this world that I consider true lifelong friends, but those people mean more to me than I can express (and they know who they are!).  There are lots more people who I consider friends, but on a less deep level, but they are still important and I wouldn't want to discount those relationship or their importance, but it isn't the same as those few that know the core of you and vice versa.  Those are the ones who pick you up when you need and know you down a tad if you need that too!!

7. I am passionate about being involved.  Many may saw that I am over-involved, and although that may be true, I love it!  I love getting in and working on things and seeing them through to fruition!  I love being involved mostly at church and the girls' school - I believe that the more you give, the more you get and it certainly has been true for me in many situations!

I could probably come up with many more, but I think that's a good start!  What are you passionate about?  Write about it on your blog and link it back to me so I can read it!!