Thursday Nights Are My Couch Potato Nights

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show


Since I am usually on the go each evening the only time I am home happens to be Thursday evenings and so that is when I find television shows to watch. This can cause dilemmas. Especially when 9:00 p.m. rolls around and I have to choose between Bones or Grey's to watch....

Top photo is of the cast of Grey's Anatomy. Funny/sad story of this show. Today at work we finally got four fish as our class pets. I gave them my own pet names. I named them after characters in this show. There was George, Izzy, Meredith, and Christina... Sadly Izzy and Meredith were too small and got sucked up by the tank pump and died... They did not last but three hours. It was pretty sad....

The second one is of the cast of House... I catch-up with re-runs on Thursday night for this show....

The third one is of Reba. Love this show! I am very sad it is all finished. No matter how many of the shows I have seen they always seem funny to me. My dad even enjoys watching Reba with me. Truth be told, I have gotten my dad to enjoy watching all these shows with me with the exception of Grey's, but that is understandable.

The fourth is of the cast of Bones. Those of you who have not watched this show of all of these I highly encourage this one. The F.B.I. agent Booth is Catholic and his partner, an forensic anthropologist, Bones, happens to view science as her god...It is an interesting duo to listen to and watch. It is based off of the life of Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist.

Last is my real silly pointless show I watch just to get a good laugh... The Big Bang Theory. I tend to relate to the character Penny the most myself. I have decided the next time my class receives a group of fish I will name them after the characters of this show. They are cute fish names.... Penny, Sheldon, Leanord, Raj, and Howard. It works. Hopefully they won't die....

"Sisters. Sisters. There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters"

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 2
A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

This is a picture of my little sister, Crista and I. The top one is from about four years ago on a "March For Life" trip before we loaded on the bus. The one on the bottom is of us two on the metro in d.c. this past January while on our "March For Life" trip.

Even though there is only a two and a half year age gap between my sister and I, I can honestly say that has never really been that big of a deal to us. From the beginning we have been pretty much joined at the hip. I remember when we were really young wherever I went Crista HAD to come too. She was my little shadow. I remember there were times when that got on my nerves, but for the most part it did not bother me. We even shared a bedroom with each other for a good portion of our lives which was a lot of fun. I now know that if we tried to do that again today it probably would not work since I would drive her crazy with my country music and she would make me go insane with her messier habbits...

Growing up I appreciated having her around even more since we were both home schooled, so really if we wanted to play during recess we played with each other. We had to be pretty creative when it came to "recess." I remember we would go outside in our backyard and play kickball with imaginary team members. It was a fun time.

As we grew older we had the same group of friends and enjoyed doing the same kinds of things. Wherever we went we were always known as the "McConnell girls." It was never where is Teresa and/or Crista. It was rare that we would go anywhere without each other.

In the past few years it is not quite like that anymore. We each have our own friends and we do not see each other nearly as much. That does not change the fact that she is and will always be my best friend. I love her dearly. :)

Reflection On The Meaning Of The "Our Father"

Yesterday I was blessed to be able to go to confession. The penance the priest gave me was to pray the "Our Father" very slowly while contemplating the words I was saying... I ended up finding an article that was incredibly well-written. I decided to borrow a little bit of it here... There is much more detail in the full article, which you can read if you click here.

“Our Father”
God is not just Father or even my Father, he is “our” Father. Although the word “our” is not in St. Luke’s account (Lk 11:2), it is certainly implied. The universality of God’s fatherhood is an important theme in Matthew’s Gospel. It highlights God’s covenantal family. Because God is “our” Father our relationship with others must cut through all races, sexes, cultures, classes, parties, or any other distinctions. The other, no matter how despicable or downtrodden, irregardless of their offenses and brokenness, is always my brother or sister because they are also God’s children. The Father’s great love sent Jesus to bind our wounds and unite us into one family. This is one reason that so much of Catholic worship is communal worship. It celebrates God’s love as the family of God.

“Who Art In Heaven”
Heaven is the possession of God, because God is everything worth possessing. When we possess God and nothing else, we have everything. On the other hand, if we possess every conceivable earthly good and do not have God, we have nothing. “What will it profit a man,” Jesus asked, “to gain the whole world and to suffer the loss of his soul” (Mt 16:26)?

“Hallowed Be Thy Name”
In this petition we ask that His most holy name be sanctified and honored everywhere. May we always honor His name in our thoughts and in our actions. Without His help we are utterly helpless to do so. So we pray: “Never let us violate your name by sin.” When we sin we drag your name, which you indelibly imprinted on our soul, through the muck of evil and death.

“Thy Kingdom Come”
We have a distorted understanding of kingship. We view it only in a governmental sense. A king is viewed only as a ruler or perhaps the ceremonial head of state. In democratic countries like the United States we have almost no appreciation of the biblical concept of kingship. This may be why some modern translators render the Greek word basileia as reign of God rather than kingdom of God. God’s fatherhood is the basis for His kingship, because in God His fatherhood and His kingship are one.

“Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven”
Submission to the Father’s will defines what it means to live faithfully in His kingdom. This is how we, His children and His subjects, must live. Obedience to His will is the only way we can show our love. Thus Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). It is only in the full submission to the Father’s will that we are truly free and at peace.

“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
When these two images, daily and tomorrow, converge they underscore the supersubstantial bread of the Eucharist, “the bread from heaven” (Jn 6:32-32). This daily bread sustains our supernatural life, is the source of all grace, and in the great tomorrow it is cause of our resurrection in Christ. Liturgically this awesome reality is evidenced in the ancient practice at Mass of reciting or singing the Lord’s Prayer before Holy Communion. The Our Father is a reminder that we are about to receive the Bread of the great tomorrow when our union with the Heavenly Bridegroom will be eternally celebrated in the wedding banquet of the Lamb.

“And Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us”
Nevertheless, the Father extends His merciful forgiveness. When our repentance is complete so is His forgiveness. However, God demands that we act like Him by forgiving those who have offended us. He knows that forgiveness liberates the wounded heart and removes the poison that endangers it. In that process we experience the depth of God’s love and mercy. When we forgive we also reveal he Father’s heart to others.

“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
So we ask our Father, “lead us not into temptation.” In other words we ask the Father to make us humble relying on His strength and protection. We ask Him to keep us from becoming overconfident, complacent, self-seeking and boastful. When we are humble in this life the Father can exalt us in eternity. We ask the Father, “Deliver us from sin, the only evil.”

“But Deliver Us From Evil”
While our Father never uses force, He is not a passive bystander waiting on the sidelines to see which destiny we choose. He is always the loving Father nudging His wayward children with his loving support and direction. When, for example, we get caught drunk on the job and are fired, or are arrested for shoplifting, or have an affair exposed, or get caught cheating or lying, or get divorced for unfaithfulness, selfishness and neglect -- these are signs of God’s undeserved mercy. He’s trying to get our attention to the far greater danger that lies in eternity. When our evil is exposed, God is not abandoning us to sin with its pleasures. If we were not caught we would fall deeper into the arms of Satan until, like the scribes and Pharisees, we had sealed ourselves off from God’s mercy and forgiveness.

“Amen.”
We end our prayers with the word amen. It is a transliteration of a solemn Hebrew word (’amen) describing something firm, true, or reliable. At the conclusion of Christian prayer it expresses our complete trust and surrender to God’s will. It is our fiat.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 1 Complete. :)

On facebook there is a huge challenge called the 30 photo challenge. Normally I try to avoid such challenges, but this one looks like it would be fun so I decided to go along with the crowd. Since there are some interesting photo challenges I figured it would also be fun to put it up on here as well.... :)


Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts


1. Full name is Teresa Allison McConnell
2. I am the very middle child of five in my family
3. I am very Catholic. I LOVE my faith. :)
4. Recently I have decided I want to buy a beta fish and name it Charlie... Originally I wanted to name my first lab Charlie... either way one of my pets will be named Charlie.
5. I work at St. Charles Daycare and absolutely LOVE my job.
6. I am a country music kinda girl
7. I have given my car the name "Old Timer" because it is a grandpa car which has been very good to me.
8. I play the piano and the song I have most recently mastered is the song "Only Hope." The Mandy Moore version, not the Switchfoot version, because the Mandy Moore version just sounds better on the piano.
9. I am a bookworm. I love reading books... I am in the middle of a few right now. :)
10. My favorite flowers are daisies. :) They make me happy. They are also fun to doodle when I am trying to stay awake during nap time at work....

1 Corinthians 13:4 Prayer

Lord,
Because love is patient…Help me to be slow to judge, but quick to listen. Hesitant to criticize, but eager to encourage,remembering your endless patience with me.

Because love is kind… Help my words to be gentle and my actions to be thoughtful. Remind me to smile and to say “Please” and “Thank You” because those little things still mean so much.

Because love does not envy or boast, and it is not proud… Help me have a heart that is humble and sees the good in others. May I celebrate and appreciate all that I have and all that I am, as well as doing the same for those around me.

Because love is not rude or self-seeking… Help me to speak words that are easy on the ear and on the heart. When I’m tempted to get wrapped up in my own little world, remind me there’s a great big world out there full of needs and hurts.

Because love is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs… Help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me. When I want to hold onto a grudge, gently help me release it so I can reach out with a hand of love instead.

Because love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth…Help me stand up for what is right and good. May I defend the defenseless, and help the helpless. Show me how I can make a difference.

Because love always protects and always trusts… Help me to be a refuge for those around me. When the world outside is harsh and cold, may my heart be a place of acceptance and warmth.

Finally, because love always perseveres… Help my heart continually beat with love for You and others. Thank you for showing us what the word love really means. Amen.

By Holley Gerth

God Is My Hero

I have been wanting to blog all week, but when I have actually sat down to blog I have had no idea what to blog about. They say writer's block is not real, it is only an excuse people use. That may be true, but I still have had times, like this past week, where nothing comes to mind at all.
Tonight, however, something has come to mind....

I was listening to pandora this evening when the song, "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias came on. Now, I must admit back in high school I LOVED this song. I still really like it, but I am not so sure how I feel about a guy being a girl's hero. It is a romantic thought. Every girl has dreamed about the knight in shining armor coming in to rescue the princess, which in every girl's fantasy the princess is always herself. I myself have thought about it many times. It is fun to think about, but it is not really how it works....

The problem with this picture is that the girl always seems weak. It is okay to need help sometimes and to have someone there to help, but us girls should first lean on God and the strength we receive from Him. I came by this little story that explains all about why God made us women the way he did...:)

"Mom, why are you crying?" he asked his mom.

"Because I'm a woman" she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His mom just hugged him and said, "and you never will." Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason" was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to GOD. When GOD got on the phone the man said, "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD said:

"When I made women she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. This same sensitivity helps her to make a child's boo-boo feel better and shares in her teenagers anxieties and fears.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

I gave her a tear to shed, it's hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed. It's her only weakness; it's a tear for mankind."

"Someone's Watching Over Me"

While being sick this week-end I have spent a lot of time sleeping and watching tv and listening to music. This is the first time I have really sat down for a lengthy period of time. I have "re-discovered" this Hilary Duff song. I am not a huge Hilary Duff fan, but I do have to say the lyrics to this song are very beautiful. It is very easy to see how christian this song really is. I personally like the lyrics in bold the best. I will keep on praying that I won't be afraid to follow wherever God is calling me.....

"Someone's Watching Over Me"
by Hilary Duff

I found myself today
Oh I found myself and ran away
But something pulled me back
A voice of reason I forgot I had
All I know is you're not here to say
What you always used to say
But it's written in the sky tonight

Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it

seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me


I've seen that ray of light
And it's shining on my destiny
shining all the time
And I won't be afraid
To follow everywhere it's taking me
All I know is yesterday is gone
And right now I belong
To this moment
To my dreams


Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me

It doesn't matter what people say
And it doesn't matter how long it takes
Believe in yourself and you'll fly high
It only matters how true you are
Be true to yourself and follow your heart

Chorus:

So I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's watching over me

"To Err Is Human, Forgive Is Divine"

Last night at holy hour I was asked to be the speaker. The topic was all about forgiveness. I was very excited for this talk and all was going well with it until I woke-up yesterday morning. I woke-up sicker than I have all week. I did not have a fever so I managed to make myself still go into work. As the day progressed, however, I began to feel worse and worse and eventually ended up with a 100.5 degree fever. I took advil and was very tempted to skip holy hour. It would not have even been a mental debate had I not promised to speak. I decided to take advil in hopes that the fever would go down and I could give the talk. Luckily, it did go down, and I did still give my talk. I had planned it for about ten to fifteen minutes. but fighting a really bad cough I shortened it quite a bit, but still managed to keep the important parts in my very short talk. I will share my outline with you all here....

I. Introduce myself and my talk.

"To err is human, to forgive is divine"

-Alexander Pope-

II. How we are all called to forgiveness

A. God does not call us to do anything He would not do Himself

1. confession

2. how some of Jesus' last few words before His death were "Forgive them Father, they

know not what they do."

II. Some common misconceptions about forgiveness

A. How some people believe that when we forgive someone we are condoning the action that

they did

1. We can only forgive what we believe is wrong

2. We are not condoning what happened. We are only choosing to move on from it.

B. Some people believe that we have to be asked for forgiveness in order to forgive

1. Again not true because, sadly, not everyone will be looking for forgiveness

2. Forgiveness is internal

3. We do not even have to tell the person we are forgiving that we forgive them.

III. Why forgive?

A. Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves

B. Forgiveness challenges us to believe that the final outcome of a situation does not have to

be our hurt.

C. Every meaningful relationship must have forgiveness involved

D. When we forgive we tend to gain more confidence and are happier when living in the

present moment.

E. Physically people who are better with working on forgiveness tend to have lower blood

pressure and lower stress-levels.

F. When we forgive we tend be less likely to have problems with substance abuse and

depression.

IV. What happens when we do not choose to forgive?

A. We allow to continue being prisoners of the situation.

B. We are not really in control of the situation, the situation ends up controlling us.

C. We bring our anxieties and bitterness into our future relationships

D. We can not fully enjoy the present when we are holding a grudge about something that

happened to us in our past.

E. People fall into depression more easily

F. Most importantly we put up a barrier between our relationship with God.

V. Forgiveness is a journey...

A. It is not always an easy process. It may take days, weeks, months, or even years

depending on the degree of hurt that a situation has caused us.

B. To help us through this journey we must rely on God and our faith. We cannot do it alone.

VI. We all make mistakes

A. We are all human and no one is perfect

B. Compassion is a key ingredient to forgiveness. We must show compassion to one another.

C. Forgiveness is supposed to be a humbling experience. We are not supposed to believe we

are better than the other people involved because we are forgiving them. It is not

supposed to be like that at all.

VII. Share the story of St. Maria Goretti

VIII. Conclusion

End with

"We do not really know how to forgive until we know what it is to be forgiven.
Therefore we should be glad that we can be forgiven by others. It is our
forgiveness of one another that makes the love of Jesus manifest in our lives,
for in forgiving one another we act towards one another as He has acted towards us."

-Thomas Merton-

"Circle me, Lord..."

Circle me, Lord.
Keep protection near
And danger afar.

Circle me, Lord
Keep hope within.
Keep doubt without.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep light near
And darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within.
Keep evil out.

Amen.

The above prayer was shared today during the homily of our pastor's last week-end here. It was a very moving homily and I must admit I did tear up a bit from it. Father Bill brought a whole lot to our parish and he became very important to my family. The most touching part of the Mass with him was how I could see he was crying a little bit while waiting for the gifts to come down the aisle. It was easy to see that as much as he meant to us the parish did mean a whole lot to him as well. What he taught us will be remembered as we welcome our new priest. Change is not easy, but with the right attitude it can be the beginning of a good thing. My family still intends to visit Father often and will be kept close at heart. :)

Good-byes And Surprises

All is quiet in my house except for the sound of the heater. I cannot seem to fall asleep and I know the reason is because at this moment there is somewhere else I would love to be at, but I know why I can't be there tonight or the rest of the week-end. That place happens to be in Indianapolis where a large gathering of undergrads are attending Kairos 21 retreat. It is a huge sacrifice for me to give up a retreat week-end. Knowing the majority of my friends are at the retreat enjoying great talks and eachother's company tonight is making not being there even harder. At this moment I am sure most of them are still awake enjoying their free-time playing games, singing songs, talking, and becoming very sleep deprived while having a whole lot of fun. As much as I wish I were there in person I understand now why God did not call me to go to this retreat as much as it is hard for me to not be there.

This week-end happens to be the last week-end for our parish priest to be here. He has only been with us for a short period of time considering how long the average amount of time is for a priest to stay with a parish. It was a surprise to hear about when he told us he only had a month left to stay with us. He also has said how much he really does not want to leave, but the only reason he is going is because the Bishop has told him to. He is being obedient to his adviser. Father has become very important to my family while we have been going through some difficult times. He has been one of the easiest priests for me to go to confession to. His homilies at Mass have always been easy for me to take something away from. He has done so many positive things at our parish. Knowing he is leaving and not really wanting to is making this good-bye even harder. If I had gone on the retreat I would have missed-out on his last Mass here, and that would have made me very sad. More sad than not attending the retreat, which is saying something pretty big considering how much I love retreats.

Another reason why I am ok with not being able to be on this retreat is the fact that my family is throwing my father a surprise birthday party on Sunday. The only reason why I am even ok with writing this on my blog is the fact that my father does not get on the computer... except to check his e-mail. When he sits and types out his e-mails he only uses two fingers because he has never really understood the need for typing classes. His work made him take a typing class which he attended, but even the teacher ended up passing him only because he went from one finger to two. Thinking about that kind of makes me laugh. I love my dad dearly. He turned sixty while I was away for my March for Life trip so we did not have a big celebration with him. In fact when I got home that day no one was here to greet me. My parents were out on a dinner date for his birthday. I was cool with that. In fact I kind of enjoyed having a bit of "alone" time to reflect on the trip. Anyway, so my mom is expecting fifty to sixty people coming to his party. My little brother will be the dj. There will be tons and tons of Mexican food since that is my dad's favorite kind of food. There are lots of letters that have come in for my dad from those who will not be able to be here for it in person. Along with his birthday this is also supposed to celebrate the fact that my dad has stayed sober for 22 years from alcohol which is something my family is very proud of him for. I could go on and on about all the many ways my dad has helped others around my town with different needs, but that would take a long time to write. The fact that so many care enough about him to let him know how much he means to them speaks volumes about the kind of man my dad is. I feel very blessed that God gave me the parents he did. I would not trade them for the world! Had I gone on the retreat I would miss-out on this grand occasion and that would really really make me sad.

The picture has Father Bill in the middle and my dad on his right. It was taken at one of the parish pic-nics that Father Bill pushed for.

Since I was not able to be with my friends I have sent them each a little note which they should receive sometimes tomorrow and I have been keeping them in my prayers. I cannot wait to hear how their experience was this past week-end when they return. :)

Catholic Horses Joke

My dad sent this to me today. I thought it was pretty good. I know it made me smile. Enjoy. :)

CATHOLIC HORSES

One day while he was at the track playing the ponies and all but losing his
shirt, Mitch noticed a priest who stepped out onto the track and blessed the
forehead of one of the horses lining up for the 4th race.

Lo and behold, that horse...a very long shot... won the race. Before the
next race, as the horses began lining up, Mitch watched with interest as the
old priest stepped onto the track again.

Sure enough, as the 5th race horses came to the starting gate the priest
made a blessing on the forehead of one of the horses.

Mitch made a beeline for a betting window and placed a small bet on the
horse. Again, even though it was another long shot, the horse the priest
had blessed won the race.

Mitch collected his winnings, and anxiously waited to see which horse the
priest would bless for the 6th race. The priest again blessed a horse.
Mitch bet big on it, and it won.

Mitch was elated. As the races continued the priest kept blessing long
shot horses, and each one ended up coming in first.

By and by, Mitch was pulling in some serious money. By the last race, he
knew his wildest dreams were going to come true. He made a quick dash to
the ATM, withdrew all his savings, and awaited the priest's blessing that
would tell him which horse to bet on.

True to his pattern, the priest stepped onto the track for the last race
and blessed the forehead of an old nag that was the longest shot of the
entire day. Mitch carefully observed the priest blessing the eyes, ears, and
hooves of the old nag. Mitch had a difficult time believing that nag could
ever win, but that priest had blessed all the correct winners thus far.
That horse didn't look like a winner, but that priest was a winner. With
the long odds on this horse, Mitch knew he had a huge winner if this priest
was right again. He bet every cent he owned on the old nag.

He then watched dumb-founded as the old nag jogged around the track, coming
in dead last. Mitch, in a state of shock, made his way down to the track
area where the priest was. Confronting the old priest he demanded, "Father!
What happened? All day long you blessed horses and they all won. Then in
the last race, the horse you blessed lost by a Kentucky mile. Thanks
to you, I've lost every cent of my savings -- every bit of it!'.

The priest nodded wisely and with sympathy. "Son," he said, "that's a
problem with Protestants, they can't tell the difference between a simple
blessing and last rites."

Sitting This One Out For A Change

This upcoming week-end is the Kairos retreat. Sadly, I will not be able to attend this one. I know, crazy, me the retreat junkie NOT attending a retreat, but it is a fact this time. There is a saying out there that says that if God wants you to be on a retreat He will get you there. I suppose this time He wants me to sit one out. A huge group of my friends will be attending it, some are even flying in from out of state to be here. One in particular is flying in from Boston. Since I will not be able to be with my friends in person, I will be letting them know I am with them in spirit. One nice way (other than praying, which I will be doing) I will be doing this is by writing them letters. Each retreatant will be receiving a packet full of letters from friends and family letting them know how much they are loved. These types of things are just my style. It is nice to uplift friends and help brighten their day. I like to do that every so often. It is even more fun when they really are not expecting it. For the next few nights I will be occupying myself with this task along with a few others which may mean I might not have time to blog for a couple of days, but it is a small sacrifice to give-up blogging in order to make my friends feel special and loved. :)

"Kid's Say The Darndest Things" #10

I know I haven't done one of these in a long while... but here we go.

My eight year old nephew came to visit me at the daycare. He was having a lot of trouble trying to climb the rope...

Me: Hey, Isaiah, do you want one of my little kids to show you how it's done?
Isaiah: If I can't do it then they can't. They're littler then me.
Me: Hey, Sofie. Come over here. Do you want to show my nephew how to climb the rope?
Sofia: Yes.
Sofia climbs the rope in about thirty seconds.
Isaiah: Well, can she climb back down?
Sofie climbs down the rope with out a problem.
Isaiah: She needs to be my teacher!
--------------------------------------

Marva: Hey Sofie, what's on your shirt.
Sofia: A ghost.
Marva: What else is on your shirt?
Sofia: polka ducks.... there are also polka ducks on my pants too.

What she meant was polka dots..... lol
-------------------------------------

Camille thought she saw Jacob put some chalk in his mouth....

Camille: Hey Jacob, what is that in your mouth???
Jacob (with a face that looked at her like she was crazy): I have teeth in my mouth!

It was too funny!
------------------------------------

Kaytlin: Marva, what color are your hands?
Marva: Brown
Kaytlin: What color is your face?
Marva: Brown
Kaytlin: What color is your body?
Marva: Brown. Kaytlin, what color are your hands?
Kaytlin (studying her hands with a serious look on her face): Uh, uh, uh, I think yellowish?
-------------------------------------

During circle time we were practicing a song for a thanksgiving day feast had had for all the families to come and attend. It is an Native American song and one of the lines is "This is the way we wash our clothes wash our clothes wash our clothes. This is the way we was our clothes. We are the wampanoag." there are other lines like "this is the way we plant our corn..." etc. After the washing the clothes verse one of the kids says this:

Dash: I just take my clothes out of the dryer at home and they're clean.

After he said that we got into a discussion about how different the lifestyles of the people were at the time of the first Thanksgiving. How they had to hunt their food and make their own clothes and how they washed their clothes... how they did not have a supermarket like we do today, so forth and so on. FInally one of the girls cuts in...

Savannah (with a very serious face): Uh uh... That's, that's a joke!

It was too cute.

7 Deadly Sins/ 7 Contrary Virtues

Today during the homily at Mass father focused mainly on how we all have bad habits which we need to work on. He talked about how we can only overcome these bad habits through an active relationship with God. The thing about bad habits is how they show us how we will always need help from God through our whole life. He then talked a bit on the seven deadly sins and how we all battle with these in our own ways. It is a good thing we have the virtues to pray for growth in to help us out with the struggles of our daily lives. Virtues are always a work in progress. It is not something you are born with, or once you think you have it you always will. No, virtues are something that must be practiced, but we can only really practice them to the best of our ability with the grace of God. So here is a little bit more about the deadly sins and some virtues that correspond with them.

Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. (pray for the virtue of Humility to overcome this sin)

Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. (Pray for the virtue of kindness to overcome this sin)

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. (pray for the virtue of abstinence to overcome this sin)

Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. (pray for the virtue of chastity to overcome this sin)

Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath. (pray for the virtue of patience to overcome this sin)

Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. (pray for the virtue of liberality to overcome this sin)

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. (pray for the virtue of diligence to overcome this sin)

Ever Wonder Where The "Super Bowl" Got It's Name?

I am a huge football fan. Normally the Play-offs and the Super Bowl are a few of my favorite things to watch in the winter. This year it is a bit different considering the two teams are going to be playing in the Super Bowl this year. I am not much of a fan of either, but considering I really cannot stand the Steelers, I will be hoping the Packer's win this evening. In honor of the game here is some trivia for those who are interested.

Is the Super Bowl really named after a 1960s children's toy?

By Chris Chase

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It seems too much like an urban legend to be true that the Super Bowl was named after a children's novelty toy that was popular in the mid-1960s.

But strange as it sounds, it is. The name of America's biggest sport event got its name from

a Wham-O toy called "Super Ball." The story was recounted in Michael MacCambridge's book, "America's Game."

Once the NFL-AFL merger was announced, discussions began about the inaugural championship game between the winners of the two leagues. A group of seven men were tasked with the specifics. During the course of the meetings, it became confusing when the men referred to "the championship game" because the others didn't know whether he was referring to the league championship games or the finale, which still didn't have a name. To end the mix-ups, Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt jokingly referred to the final championship game as the "Super Bowl." He had come up with the name while watching his children play with the toy pictured above.

"Super Bowl" is how the game was referred to for months, even though Hunt himself said it was "far too corny" to ever be used on the big stage. In the middle of 1966, he wrote commissioner Pete Rozelle and said the group needed to come up with an official name for the game. "If possible," he wrote, "I believe we should 'coin a phrase' for the Championship Game. [...] I have kiddingly called it the 'Super Bowl,' which obviously can be improved upon."

Rozelle agreed. The league's publicity director recalled that the commissioner despised the word "super," because it didn't have any sophistication. Rozelle was evidently a "stickler on words and grammar." The game would be known as the "AFL-NFL World Championship Game."

That bulky title didn't last. People caught wind of Hunt's name and soon everyone, from media members to players, were calling the title game "the Super Bowl." The NFL was slow to adapt, though. It wasn't until the third game that the words "Super Bowl" appeared on the official game program and the fourth game when the phrase appeared on tickets.

I Am A "Lyric" Person

"You know I've got this theory, there are two kinds of people in the world. There are lyric people and music people. You know, the lyric people tend to be analytical. You know, all about the meaning of the song. They're the ones you see with the CD insert out like 5 minutes after buying it, pouring over the lyrics, interpreting the hell out of everything. Um, then there’s the music people, like Brooke. Who could care less for the lyrics as long as its just got like a good beat and you could dance to it. I don’t know, sometimes it might be easier to be a music girl and not a lyric girl. But since I’m not, let me just say this. Sometimes things find you when you need them to find you, I believe that. And for me its usually song lyrics."

-One Tree Hill (Peyton Sawyer's character)-

I read this quote for the first time today, and I can totally 100% understand where this quote is coming from. If you are new to this blog and have not yet seen a post where I talk about the lyrics of a song, then just wait it out a little bit and sure enough I will post one. Better yet, you can read them by clicking the music link on my side-bar. I am obsessed with songs which have emotional and memorable lyrics. Lyrics are poetry and if they touch me without hearing the song then I know the song has got to be a piece of art. There are definitely certain song lyrics that have truly changed my life. That usually happens when it is spot on to what I need to hear or what emotion I am feeling. Lyrics can be beautiful... they can also be harmful depending on what the writer is trying to convey. Just another thing I am careful about.

Learning To Appreciate Winter Beauty

The ice storm hit hard in my hometown. Everything here is pretty much closed up and everyone (who still have electricity in their homes) are in hibernation mode. It is a interesting feeling. There is a nice layer of ice covering everything out side. I went to clean off the ice on my car, just for something to do, and it took me about fifteen to twenty minutes to clear it all off. While I was out there I noticed something. It was completely silent outside, with the exception of my car running. No one was outside shoveling their driveways. There were no sounds of cars going down the road. There were no children running around and playing. There were no signs of any animals either. It was very interesting. Silence like that hardly ever happens during the day on my street. I took the time to really look around my street at what nature had done to it. My neighbor's tree in the front yard had a number of branches fall down and block her front door. The snow was shiny from the layer of ice laying on top of it. The trees all glistened in the sunlight from the ice which covered every branch and stem and twig. It looked like a gorgeous winter wonderland. It was a moment that reminded me how even though I am usually not appreciative of winter weather, winter still has it's own beauty that should be noticed. God is really something when He wants to catch a person's attention...

"Planned Parenthood Aids Pimp's Underage Sex Ring"

Being Short Is Better

If I could change one thing about myself (not that I think about this all the time or anything) I would add a few inches to me height. Being 5'21/2" in. is not that small, but it is enough to be somewhat frustrating. I am not going to lie, I did not complain about my lack of height while standing around my tall friends when we were waiting for the March to start last week... That came in very handy for me as they all blocked the wind from my sister and I, so we were pretty warm. There are times that being short is not fun. Trying to see something when in a large crowd of people, or when at a movie theater a tall person almost always sits in front of me and blocks my view of the screen so I have to move in an uncomfortable position to see the movie. Those are just a few examples, and I could write more, but I do not really want to.


The reason why I am even talking about height is the other night I opened up a Mother Teresa book and this is what it said:

"In the Gospels, Zaccaeus was a little man who wanted to see Jesus. He tried in many ways, but he could not see Him until he accepted that he was small. That acceptance let him to the next step, the acceptance of the humiliation that he had to climb a tree so that he could see Jesus, an so let everyone know that he was very small. We need the same kind of humility for us."
-Mother Teresa-

After reading that I guess I do not mind being short....