Amelia's special day!

The exact moment she received the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus for the very first time!

My beautiful little girl is growing up!

Random Thoughts

Did you know.......?

• According to a 2004 University of Texas study, today's fruits and vegetables aren't as nutritious as they used to be.  When compared to 1950, what is in our grocery stores now are from 5% to 40%  LESS nutritious in about 43 types of produce.  The study showed that one reason is because of a "relentless, century-long focus on increased yield that has helped to feed an exploding population".  How's that for a positive spin?  Shocking, I tell ya, shocking!
• Apparently, there is a "truckload" of research showing that a small plot of land is a smart purchase for someone perpetually in need of stress reduction.  Studies link gardening to lowered blood pressure and lower levels of stress hormones.  And people who garden have lower rates of obesity and higher intakes of healthy foods.  Good to know!
• A one-third pound stalk of broccoli contains more vitamin C than 204 apples!  So I guess this means if I'm feeling a cold coming on...I should eat broccoli???  Not a chance!
• Blueberries have more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable!  I guess this is why the call blueberries a "super food".  For an excellent Blueberry Crumble recipe, click HERE!
• The Hershey chocolate bar was advertised in the early 1900's as a health food!  Also, that it kept children's stomach full so they wouldn't want to eat as much.  Hmm.  I'm going to need to ponder that tidbit for alittle while.

All of this jaw dropping information comes to you courtesy of several old Cooking Light magazines I read while in the waiting room of the doctor's office on Tuesday.  My only other choices were Golf Digest and a 2004 issue of Elle.  What is with these doctors?  Are you telling me that they can't afford a couple decent magazine subscriptions?  For goodness sakes, if you're going to keep me waiting, at least provide a current issue of something!  I ended up resorting to a few games of Words with Friends on my "dumbphone".

OK, here is one last bit of useless information that may or may not make you laugh.....

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Aussies, British or Americans.  Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Aussies, British or Americans.  Africans drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Aussies, British or Americans.  Italians drink large amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Aussies, British or Americans.  Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Aussies, British or Americans.  CONCLUSION:  Eat and drink what you want.  Speaking English is apparently what kills you!

Ba da bump!

Happy Friday to you!

May Crowning repost

In honor of our Blessed Mother and the month of May, I decided to repost a May Crowing craft that I did in 2010.  This was an easy, kid friendly craft to help celebrate Mary's month.  Enjoy....


I can't believe that we are half way through the month of May! It seems as though the last few months have flown by and I can hardly recall what we've done! Thank goodness for this blog! I can at least click through my last several months worth of posts and see that we were, in fact, quite busy!

We didn't have (or at least not yet) a May Crowning "celebration", but we did manage to make a few things for our Blessed Mother statue that I wanted to share with you.

Just a few simple beads and some wire!

I know they should actually be made of flowers, but I thought this looked more like a crown.

Isn't she beautiful! (yes..I realize she has no thumbs....but this statue has been through a lot!)

I found some blue flowers at the craft store that I thought would make a nice wreath.

I used some of the floral foam and just cut the stems off and stuck them in.

I think it looks pretty good!

Nothing is glued on, so I hope it all stays put!

The girls have been singing "Immaculate Mary" in the bathtub over the last few nights....does that count towards a May Crowning celebration???

Checking In

My posting has been light this past week...it's been a rough one.

On Wednesday our beloved cat, Thomas, died.  It was a tragic accident.  Apparently, he was climbing over the back fence and his foot got caught between two slats.  He could not break himself free.  He must have been there for several hours.  He did not show up at the door on Wednesday morning and we were getting worried.  Thankfully, Dan was the one that found him.  It was awful and heartbreaking.

Nathan did not take the news well.  As you might recall, he had a terrible time with the death of his bird last year.  This has been a devastating week.

We are trying our best to move forward and not think about how Thomas died...but how he lived...like a KING!  That cat ruled the roost in this house!  He was a good cat, extremely friendly with the kids and a total lap hound.  We will miss him.

Please keep Nathan in your prayers as he learns the lessons of death and dying, love and loss. 

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My special friend, Judy, hosts this meme every Wednesday! Her motto is "a thankful heart is a joyful heart"! I completely agree! In this meme, we are to share 5 things that we are thankful for this week. Please join us for an Attitude of Gratitude and visit Judy's blog for the link up! Prepare to be blessed!

1.  Today, I am thankful for my parish family!  I had the opportunity to sit and talk with a friend of mine on Sunday, after the annual "Mother/Daughter Breakfast".  We spent some time sharing about how we have such an active parish and how both of our families have been supported and loved during some very trying times in our lives.  It never ceases to amaze me how an individual, a ministry or a circle group can really step up to assist in meeting the needs of other parishioners.  In this day and age of "me,me,me", it's nice to know that we can put others first by being Jesus to them.

2. If it's possible to be thankful for a television show (do you sense my sarcasm?), then I am extremely thankful for 19 Kids and Counting!  This is probably the most wholesome show I allow my kids to watch outside of EWTN!  The Duggars are a remarkable family and I so appreciate that they allow cameras into their lives so that others can benefit from their experiences.  When I see how Michelle gently guides her children, I feel encouraged that I can set the tone for how our household runs and that it is possible to have peace.  I have no doubt that they are a regular family in the sense that there is lots of noise, chaos and messes...just like in my house.  What makes them remarkable is how they deal with  life.  I pray for the wisdom and ability to have the servants heart that Michelle does.

3.  I am also thankful for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI!  I believe him to be a true man of God.  He reminds me so much of my grandfather that when I see him on television, I feel the urge to just put my arms around him and hug him!  He is a true Shepherd and we as Catholics, are truly blessed to have him.  I need spend more time praying for him.  He needs our prayers of protection especially during this time in history when the persecution of The Church is in high gear!

4.  I'm thanking God for my son's homeroom teacher T.G.!  He has many other wonderful teachers, but T.G. is special.  For one thing, she genuinely loves her students.  Truly!  She clearly feels that their souls are much more important than their grades!  She treats them as though they were her own children.  I never worry about him not getting what he needs spiritually or academically during the day.  She never hesitates to let me know what's going on and she challenges him to do better...to grow to be a better person.  Mostly, she doesn't take any tween crap from him!  I'm so thankful that she is his teacher!  Thank you, T.G. for all that you do!  The Widener's love you!

5.  Lastly, I am thankful that our bird is doing better.  It was touch and go there for awhile.  She has a paralyzed left foot.  We still don't know what's caused it.  It could be arthritis, it could have been a stroke or it could be a tumor.  We may never know.  All I know is that she is eating and drinking again and ripping paper like crazy!  She seems happy and is singing all the time.  I don't know how long she will live, but I'm glad we went ahead and visited the vet.....even if it cost us a fortune!

What are you thankful for this week??