Wacky weather

All after school activities were cancelled. Wacky and somewhat dangerous weather all over TN. Lots of wind, rain and hail. Not too big hail around here, but about 2 hours south, it's supposed to be baseball-sized hail!!

The kids are huddled in the basement!

He is Risen

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday, the 'day of the entombed Christ', is the Lord's day of rest, for on that day Christ's body lay in His tomb. We recall the Apostle's Creed, which says "He descended unto the dead." It is a day of suspense between two worlds, that of darkness, sin and death, and that of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World. For this reason no divine services are held until the Easter Vigil begins that night. This day between Good Friday and Easter Day makes present to us the end of one world and the complete newness of the era of salvation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.

Ideally, Holy Saturday should be the quietest day of the year (although this is not as easy in a busy household with children as it might be in a convent or monastery). Nightfall on Holy Saturday is time for joy and greatest expectation because of the beautiful liturgy of the Easter Vigil, often referred to as the Mother of all Holy Vigils, or the Great Service of Light.

Good Friday

My Lord,
your son has suffered so much, shed so much blood.
I was born with so many faults
and my nature is so full of weakness,
and yet your son Jesus has died on the cross.
For me.
I know your grace has the power
to cleanse me of my many sins
and to make me more like your Son.
Thank you for your goodness and love for me.
I ask you, Father, to watch over me -- always.

Our new cat and Gabriel's new obsession

How to have a cat, but not have a cat in 2 easy steps
1. Have neighbor's cat come to your door.
2. Have your 8 year-old give it milk and pet it saying "Look my kitty's back"

Gabriel's new obsession: poker (fueled by his yard sale find of over 200 poker chips, cards, etc. for $3)

Prayer for Palm Sunday

Almighty, ever-living God,
You have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior
as a model of humility.
He fulfilled your will
by becoming man and giving his life on the cross.
Help us to bear witness to you
by following his example of suffering
and make us worthy to share in his resurrection.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from prayers at today's mass, as we enter Holy Week)

Back in the spring of things

The kids have only 6 more weeks of school (Gabriel made me count today) and are eager for our summer adventures.

Gabriel has a few spring regattas in the meantime, Marian has softball starting this week and Anna has "The Great Gatsby" (the spring play).

Bogdan heads to Los Alamos (NM) for a business trip all next week, and home just before Easter. He hopes to connect with a friend down there for some good Mexican food. The highlight of last week was spending $25,000 on equipment for lab projects. (Actually, thanks to all of you who are reading this who are paying taxes!)

A Drug called Home

Like a drug addict, we are on a high from having a dose of the drug called home.

Went to NH this weekend to see the final Songweaver Concert with Carolyn Parrott as the director. It was so great to be back and so great to see everyone. The concert was wonderful, as always. It will be so different without Carolyn. She has touched so many lives with her love of music.

Just driving around NH felt like putting on an old glove, it was familiar and friendly and felt so good. We had our favorite lunch at Sal's Pizza and stocked up on Gabriel's favorite rice pilaf at Market Basket.

We are now safely back in TN, feeling the withdrawal symptoms of our brief drug experience.

Tidbits from the Road Trip

Road Trip to NH

1. 34 hours driving

2. Lowest gas $3.54 (at Sam's Club in Concord, NH)

3. The Swift truck still following Anna

4. NO traffic jams or accidents (YEAH)

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever.

How to make your house smell like burnt toast

Make a double batch of pound cake. Divide evenly in pans. Think to yourself "I hope this turns out ok, I've never made a double batch"

Go to your computer to check your email. In about 10 minutes, notice a horrible smell from the kitchen. Go to the kitchen and see lovely black smoke come from the oven. Really start worrying. Open the oven door and see over half of the batter oozing out of the pans, the other half on the bottom of the oven burning and smoking.

Hope that dinner will turn out better.

Best April's Fools Jokes in History

1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."

1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

Update of the week

Gabriel's team came in 4th out of 7th in last weekend's regatta and they were all very happy! Spring regattas are done a bit differently, and they actually compete side-by-side, instead of racing against the clock. The team likes the competitive edge.

Anna has been cast in the spring production of "The Great Gatsby", and will be an extra/party-goer. She is thoroughly happy to be involved and is excited to even be an extra.

Marian is in a photo shoot tomorrow. With next year being the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts, the local Children's Museum is doing a big Girl Scout display. They have tons of older uniforms, so they've asked local girl scouts to model these antique uniforms. Marian will don a uniform from the 1920's, complete with a belt, patches and hat. We had to provide plain looking shoes and socks (not an easy task!)

The make ahead meals are really paying off, with a freezer full of meals, it eases up the afternoons and evenings and cuts down on that wasted time of "What am I making for dinner tonight?" In the freezer now: Tangy Pork Chops, Marinated Skirt Steak, Spicy Chicken Kabobs, BBQ Chicken, Stuffed Shells and Southern Sunday Chicken (to name a few!)