To remember:

About a week ago, when the little man was battling a virus, I was headed out to the grocery store one evening... Mommy had come over to see him after work and I had the opportunity to run out... so I did. I had coat, gloves, shoes on and stepped downstairs to say goodbye and ask the perennial 'before the grocery store question' "Is there anything you need?" (to which he usually replies, after a thought, cucumbers...watermelon... green grapes... pickles...)

That day, I asked "Shall I get you anything special... is there anything you need?" and he looked at me and said "Yes. You".

ME! He said he needed ME.

I love you little boy. That's the first time you've ever said anything like that before. It made my heart melt.

ALPHABET!!! A meme from Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight (one of my newest favorite blogs---which I check several times a day because she always has great things to read there...)

With no further adieu, the letter "U"

U-nited States --- 'nuff said?! :-)

u-nicorns --- as a girl, I loved unicorns and anything even vaguely medieval... I drew them, painted them, collected them (some), was drawn to posters of them... I still find myself a tad wistful when I think of them... but as a 40 yr old mother of 1 little boy, my days of unicorns are over!

u-niforms --- I went to Catholic School from K to 12th grade, and was a habit-wearing nun in my early 20's... so uniforms of one kind or another have been part of most of my life. And you know what? I kinda miss them! I envy those people who don't have to consider what to wear to work each day (think: nurses, waitresses, police officers, etc..). I also envy men for their simple wardrobes. I once read an article about basically coming up with a 'uniform' of your own---in terms of a few basic pieces and then mixing and matching them each day. Considering I am generally in a sweater and jeans OR in a sweater and black skirt/slacks at work, I guess I am kind of wearing a uniform still!

U-known Soldier (Tomb of) --- I have never visited this but it's something that haunts me, the thought of people lost in battle and their family never knowing...

u-ltramarine --- a vibrant beautiful blue color... I LOVE COLORS of all kinds and although I don't wear alot of color in my every day life, I am drawn to them in papers, pens, etc... Ultramarine (and aquamarine) are two of my favorites...

u-kele --- and the Hawaiian music you play ukeles to...

u-mbilical cord --- okay, this one might seen kind of out there... and truth be told, I didn't actually see the umbilical cord that attached me to my little guy (as I had a c-section and couldn't see anything)... the idea of it impresses me, the idea of having your child attached to you in that way... isn't Life amazing?

u-nabridged --- I was a voracious reader as a child (still am, when I have the time)... I had the same teacher in 4th and 7th grade (she moved up) and she had a classroom library which I salivated over... except for this small series of books that I see sometimes in used books stores. They were classics (think "Tom Sawyer", "Little Women", etc)... in abridged form. Small square paperbacks, maybe 80-90 pages tops. Brrrr.... the thought still gives me the shivers. They were AWFUL!! Give me an UNABRIDGED version of a novel anyday. The unabridged Oxford Dictionary is on my all-time wish list too...

u-nity --- peace, calm, kindness... whether we're talking in our own individual families, or in the world at large, the idea of unity is a mind-blowing wonderful one

u-mbrellas --- I actually really love umbrellas, I like when it's a day I need to use one... not one of those crazy windy days when it goes inside out and you look ridiculous, but one of those days when you just feel like walking in the rain and the umbrella is so wonderful to have. I like big golf umbrellas that fit two people under them. I saw an umbrella that is black on top and inside it has a beautiful graphics of white clouds on bright blue sky... These days I have one folding black umbrella in the car, one red/white/blue umbrella (see 1st entry USA) in the house, and a small yellow umbrella that matches my son's yellow rain boots. Our big black golf umbrella finally bit the dust a few months ago...

I did 10 of the letter "U", woo-hoo!!!!

I am such a bad blogger.

I have such good intentions, like I have for most everything in my life.

But if I blogged, I'd never have time to READ any blogs, and I do find I like that so much really. There are some really creative inspiring people out there who express themselves so beautifully and very often I find that I am pondering things they've written for days afterwards...

Not to mention some beautiful photos and artwork and poetry...

Oh, to have 40 hour DAYS... 24 hours is just not enough.

It is NOVEMBER. My little man has turned FOUR!!! Tomorrow is his 4th birthday party---meaning, the fourth one he's having... Oh that sounds like he's incredibly spoiled. So I will explain:

Sunday, we had our extended family party with both sides of the immediate family which made 18 people in all.

Tuesday, he had a little fete with his preschool class---this amounted to them singing him Happy Birthday and him wearing a paper crown all day and sitting in a specially decorated chair and being line-leader and flag-holder and all that fun stuff.

Wednesday, his actual birthday, we went to morning Mass (for which I had his intention in the book) so Father Bob announced to the whole congregation that it was his birthday and for everyone to keep him in prayer specially (he kept asking afterwards, is he going to say my name again?), then we went out for breakfast with Grandma, then to the zoo (fun!), then back home for a little rest time before we went out and met Papa at the Japanese hibachi restaurant for dinner.

And tomorrow will be his 'kid' party. Like last year, a low-key at home party. Just a few friends. Last year we had four friends and his cousin --- 6 in all. This year, it is 7 friends... 4 boys and 3 girls... I have pirate hats for the lot of them... (The little man was a pirate for Halloween so this is the theme..)

I am up this late having made the mini goody bags and put crap away and starting setting up. Tomorrow I must:

vacuum and dust
make the cake and ice it
put the cold-cut plate together
cut the rolls and put them in a basket
chill the soda for the mommies
set up the kids table
write the kids' names on the wooden 'treasure boxes' that we will be decorating as the art activity for the party

Alot but should be able to get done by 1, no? Well, I guess if I get some sleep maybe.

I have alot to tell about what has transpired since the last time I posted. A new cat, a divorce in the works, a death in the family... But those are all things to discuss some other time. I must hit the hay...

Ciao.

http://lookup.avatars.yahoo.com/wimages?yid=isjalu0826&size=large&type=jpg

...................Saturday 7/29/06

Reading a book by Gunilla Norris called "A Mystic Garden"...

Not a gardener by any stretch of the word, but I am enamored of the IDEA of gardening...

Anyway, I'm going to write down some of the things that strike me from this book because already there are a few things. It is written in the order of the Seasons. I'm still in Winter...

p.15 Continuing to ask questions is a way for the mind to make itself important, to pretend it has control. Let go. You are dying daily...

p.27 With or without your hard work, God is always moving in your life. Wait on the Holy. Wait and receive the gifts that come.

p. 38 Acknowledging our stubborn, hidden layers is humbling. Long-held attitudes of isolation, self-pity, resentment, regret, and despair come to the surface. They lie scattered like heavy stones all around us. We are broken. We are clay. Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk once said: Nothing is more whole than a broken heart".

p.63 Can you trust that out of chaos comes the new? Order and beauty have fooled many.

p.94 To lie fallow is a gift. We don't really know how to do it. Rather we are done by it or undone by it.

.................Thursday, 7/20/06

Haven't written in a while. I am tired though. I was away this past weekend, visiting friends in PENNSYLVANIA and it was so much fun, so grand! Seeing old friends, laughing, goofing around, talking serious... all ends of the spectrum.

I will try to write more later.

T fell asleep about 1/2 an hour ago. He must be exhausted. I changed him into PJs while he was asleep. I hope he goes thru the night. I have to get some more work done, maybe do my bills. I rented two videos, maybe watch those. We'll see...

Just so long as I don't start one of the videos and just SIT THERE AND WATCH IT. I've been doing that too much lately. I know there's a trend now to NOT multitask, to focus on what you're doing, but you know? TV watching does NOT have to be passive. I have too many damn things to do to continue VEGGING LIKE THAT. Enough is enough, hello?

...............Wednesday 7/12/06

Found this somewhere... thought it was pretty damn cool. I felt proud checking off the states I'd visited... but now that I see the map, I feel pretty Northeasterly top-heavy, no? What's with the blanks in the whole Central US? I only hit Nevada last year. I always tell people I've only been 1/2 way across---Michigan and Oklahoma. I did DRIVE to Michigan though!

Oh well, one of these days I'll be putting in more red. Hopefully in an RV with my little T... dreams!



create your own personalized map of the USA