I cannot believe how fast the little (or not so little) nephews and nieces are!  From Shelby who turned 17 in March to the tiniest Kydall who is 6 months, it doesn’t seem possible that one of them is driving.  Shelby still has not gotten her permit but I know some adults who have never had a license. Last Sunday, 8 year old Alyssa made her First Communion.  It has been a long haul this school year with all the prayers she has had to learn and devise the meaning of.  Then came her First Penance (I still think I made my First Communion before going to confession for the first time). And finally, the “Big” day.

As in year’s past, there was a special mass for the 14 communicants.  For his homily, Father Art walked down the aisle and asked the children questions about their special day and the journey they had been on.  He made an analogy to every person and and an old toy (that he insists is worth millions… check your toy boxes) called Mr. Machine.  We are so much more than a mechanical robot programmed by a human creator… sounds like a lesson learned during more than a few hours of a certain sci-fi television series and at least the first movie (ZZZZ to that movie).

Following the distribution of communion, the second graders stood front and center and sang while they signed a song.  Not the same song I learned years ago.  Later in the day, the family tried to figure out how long the current second grade teacher has been at the Catholic school.  Just a few years as she has led the classes of my 3 siblings and I (and this year marks my 20th High School Reunion).

After the ceremony, the family gathered at the banquet room of the local restaurant to eat and to celebrate Alyssa’s special day,

On a sad note, Father Art will be leaving our church in July after only a year.  I had heard that he is not in the best of health and the burden of leading a number of services each weekend between two churches along with his other duties has taken its toll.  May God be with Father Art wherever He leads him and his magical sax.

A dull life that is.  There has really been nothing exciting to write about.  Working, eating, browsing the web.  And the few days during the week I trek to my church for small group, AWANA, and service.  Easter service a few weeks ago topped last year’s.  An award-winning gospel artist returned to sing with us again, there were boatloads of confetti, and the addition of a balloon drop.  Just normal life at a large church. 😉

This week the first year of my third stint at AWANA came to a close with Sparks and TnT awards night.  Two of my kids gifted me with a card & bookmark, and some homemade pretzel/chocolate treats which were snarfed down the next day.  Yum.  It was a nice night with some worship from the AWANA worship leader, handouts of well over a hundred awards (some kids received more than one when they finished a book from the previous year plus the current one).  I was surprised to see several awards to older kids who did not have an official AWANA time to meet- at our church it only goes through 5th grade.  At least one winner was in high school.  AWANA does have clubs for junior high and high school so these were legitimate awards, it’s just that our church doesn’t support them on more than an individual basis.  It was nice to see several of my team (red) as well as ones on other teams I lead on the weekends earning awards.  One of my Sunday regulars won a gift card from the director too for earning the most points over the year for verses memorized, uniform, Bible, and bringing friends.  Our next meeting is a special fun night for book-finishers in June.  How many will actually be there I don’t know.  A couple of years ago when 4th and 5th grade ministry sponsored small group outings I had exactly one show up for each one.

Speaking of 4th and 5th grade ministry, this is an off weekend.  Next month is the final month for 5th-graders meaning there are only three meetings left for them before they graduate out of children’s ministry and into student ministry.  Three more times to make a difference in their lives before they, like their predecessors before them, leave me behind.

Well, that’s it for now.  Almost three months since my last post about my life (though I suppose reading that book mentioned in another post was a part as well, so less than three months then) and not much to write about.  Maybe the title is accurate after all…

Yes I did enjoy the trip to visit my lifelong (seen teen years anyway) friends last month, but they already know the details, so not much to say there, right? 🙂

Over the past few years, I’ve become quite comfortable spending time by myself. I found out, with all that time, I really do like me. I’m easy company. I don’t ask for much and don’t need a lot of attention. A good book, good movie, good music, some computer time,a warm house and full belly is all I needed to be comfortable. It was much different than my life as a husband and father.

Even in that time alone, I found I did miss the human contact. I missed having someone to share my life with. More than just the companionship of close friends, I missed someone I could share the many aspects of life. It is a comfort to know I can share my joys, tears and just about every little bit of fluff I encounter with someone again. I will never under estimate the importance of idle chit-chat with another person. That sort of thing makes the world a wonderful place to live.

Due to schedules, there are evenings I spend by myself. That ‘down time’ is something I found I need. I need to keep in touch with the person I am. Even if I am doing the same things I would do other evenings, this time for self is also important to my well being. I had that before, but I never really saw the worth of it. Time alone is a relaxing ‘tune up’ for my mind and heart. It makes me easier for me to get along with others.

This time also gives me a chance to think about where I will be going with this blog. As said, the original reason for the blog has been pushed to one of the safe places. With luck, it will be a place I don’t need to look for again. Life is good, and I am a comfortable, happy camper.

So anyway on a few of these evenings on my own, I will be putting my fingers to the keyboard again, and sharing part of what I’m doing with any readers I have.

One final note for this evening…

Quick evening meal

Boneless Chicken breasts
Vegetables
Chicken stock thickened

Rice or Noodles or Bread

I wanted a quick meal this evening, and threw the above ingredients together. I guess it would be about one medium chicken breast per person with about 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetables cut into bite size pieces. I browned the chicken while I was cutting the veggies. After the chicken had browned, I removed it to cut into bite size pieces while cooking the veggies in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup thickened chicken stock (I could have some cream soup, but I had the stock). The veggies I had were broccoli, cauliflower and mushrooms, but it could be whatever you have on hand. I then added the cooked chicken and simmered for about 5 minutes. I served this over a slice of homemade bread.

Total cooking time 1/2 hour. 1 pan, one knife, one cutting board and one wooden spoon were used in preparation tonight. Minimal time, minimal mess … just what I want when I cook a meal.

It was never goodbye.  It seems that whenever Dick Clark signed off for any of his broadcasts, it would be with his traditional salute and his familiar “This is Dick Clark… so long.”  Whether it be the myriad incarnations of the original Pyramid game show,  “Bloopers and Practical Jokes” (along side another icon, Ed McMahon), his 30+ years of hosting his own Rockin’ New Year’s Eve show, the “oldest living teenager” seemed to have his hand in every aspect of every show he was associated with.  I was not around to really enjoy the heyday of American Bandstand; however, popular music owes the show and the man most associated with it a huge debt.  Bandstand not only brought rock’n’roll to teenage homes on Saturdays but also broke the color barrier by showcasing acts like Chubby Checker, Sam Cooke, the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the Pips, amongst others.

Today, Mr. Clark bid his final adieu after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 82.  I’m not sure which I remember him more from.  Every New Years for as long as I can remember, the TV was tuned to ABC from 11:35PM onward to witness whatever elements were being thrown on Times Square to ring in the New Year.  Until the last few years (after he suffered a stroke), Clark was in the thick of rain, snow, sleet, or 60°+ degree weather counting down the minutes until the ball would drop from atop Number One Times Square to ring out the old and bring in the new.

From time to time, I catch reruns of the many Pyramid shows on GSN.  Others have attempted to recapture the success of the original but have failed for whatever reason.

WHile I was not alive in the 50 and 60s, I do remember seeing some of the hit artists of the 80s on Bandstand.  From Michael to Janet to (I’m almost embarrassed to say) Prince, and Madonna AB was a staple after cartoons ended.

HOWEVER… I have been trying to recollect if Mr. Clark had  one of those famous “poke their head out the window” cameos on Batman visitng Gotham City from his home Philadelphia way.  SURE ENOUGH!

Rest in Peace, Mr. Clark.  May you ring in the New Year for eternity.

Here it is mid-April already!  It’s funny that a few days ago I thought I had made the decision to not blog anymore, but here I am (part of this doing-less-for-me-more-for-others mentality I’m attempting).  I have a kid who wants to train to be a babysitter by watching her siblings, and I have a baby who decided he needed a nap – so I find myself with idle time.  Wait, idle time?!?  What’s that?  I’m not used to this; I don’t know what to do!  Usually I try to cram in some housework or laundry or food prep in my “down” time, but right now I just want to sit…  so writing I will do!

Nothing much to say, just a generic update on my family.  The kids are doing great!  There hasn’t been any sickness in our house lately, so we are thankful to God for that.  So a quick update on each of us if I can get it in before Luke’s nap is over…

Taylor is 12 and a half now, and she is a great kid.  She shows so much responsibility and genuinely cares for others.  She is challenged at times with patience with her siblings, but she does well.  I can’t imagine it would be easy to be the oldest in a house where there is always so much chaos and needy little kids!  Taylor leads the worship music for the kids at church, and she also enjoys using her artistic gifts to make posters for church events.

Sammie is almost 8 and is a pretty good babysitter.  She LOVES her baby brother, and if it’s the right day, she’s great with her 5 year old sister and 3 year old brother.  But Sammie has her off-days too, and if it’s one of those days, WATCH OUT!  🙂  She will push buttons of all of her siblings, and she is quite good at getting them going.  She is watching the littles as I write though, so it feels wrong to say bad things about her behavior.  She is getting ready for her 8th bday party coming up in May!

Disney has been causing 90% of the trouble in our house lately.  Our sweet little Disney is going through a phase right now that is making all of us (her included!) crazy!  She had a good day today, but in the past few weeks, she’s been upset about EVERYTHING and also intentionally pushing the buttons that drive siblings over the edge.  She loves school, and she is excited to start Kindergarten in the fall (we do homeschool, but we don’t start homeschooling our kids until 2nd grade for a number of reasons; one is because we like the social skills that kids learn at school in the early ages).

Christopher has been acting like such a big boy lately!  He’s been potty-trained since New Year’s day, and he does well with that.  He’s stopped throwing so many tantrums and is really acting more like a kid these days instead of like a crabby tantrum-throwing toddler.  He does get into his fair share of messes, and he gets especially upset when he goes thru candy withdrawal.

Luke is 6 mos. already, and a handful as always – it’s only getting worse as he gets older.  Then again, he is getting even cuter as he grows, so that’s the plus side 🙂  But what a strong personality and eye for mischief he has for such a young age!  I try not to think about it, but I find myself tempted to worry about how I’m going to stay sane when he is actually moving!  Right now he’s just scooting and rolling around, but he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth and is quite demanding; wanting 100% of the available parent’s attention 100% of the time!  You can see why this is challenging when there are 4 other kids – it’s just one reason why I gave up my social life 🙂

Hubby and I are doing well also.  His working 2 jobs keeps us busy, but in some ways, it’s actually not as stressful as I thought it would be.  It’s amazing how much easier things are when you truly trust the Lord to get you through.  By no means is life easy these days, but I am so much better equipped to handle the twists, turns and busyness now than I was a few years ago thanks to Him.  As I mentioned, we have given up our social lives.  I miss my friends, but luckily we live in a world where I can still keep up with their lives and know how to pray for them when they need it.  I’ve tried hanging out with adults a few times in the past few months, but unfortunately with all these kids running around and being so demanding, it seems better for everyone if I just focus on the kids and live a kid-oriented life.  So, with Hubby now working on the weekends, we’ve been having our family Saturdays  on Fridays when we can.  And we’ve been doing less of the expensive entertainment stuff and have been trying dedicating our hearts to serving more.  My husband has thought of some very creative ways to do this, and we’ve had many an opportunity to get out into the local communities and give and share God with others.  It’s been wonderful!

I was going to write more, but the baby has woken up, and he’s demanding my attention, of course.  I just can’t think straight when he cries and he knows it!  More next month…  haha!

Yesterday, Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling announced the title and brief synopsis of her first foray into more adult fiction. The Casual Vacancy
will be a darkly comic novel set in the seemingly idyllic British town of Pagford in which everything is not as idyllic as it seems.  It opens with the sudden death of a popular man whose unexpected demise shocks the town. The battle for his seat on the local council sets off “the biggest war the town has yet seen,” with rich people fighting poor, parents battling their teenagers, and wives in conflict with their husbands.

Given the juggernaut success that is the Harry Potter brand, I believe the world will be moderately interested to see if magic can strike again with a tale aimed at a more grown-up demographic. We have until September 27 to find out.  Since the Potter books were accepted by a large amount of adult readers as well as the target adolescent audience, I think the book will have a moderate amount of success.

Speaking of Mr. Potter, once again Warner Bros. is going for the jugular when it releases the Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection (Blu-ray / DVD Combo + UltraViolet Digital Copy) this fall.

If you have the $400.00 to throw around you can perhaps be mesmerized by the 31 disc set full of the obligatory bells and whistles contained in an attractive display box.  I suppose that if true collectors are willing to pony up the money, then whoever is behind these merchandising schemes will continue.

What a way to celebrate the blessings of the suffering and resurrection of our Savior!  The three day cycle is truly the most powerful, and beautiful time of the liturgical year.  This year seemed even more somber as my hometown community lost a true friend during the week.  I was truly shocked when I read the post from Wayne’s nephew on Wednesday.  Once again, the funeral parlor that is a block away from our house was full to bursting on Good Friday.

Friday evening, I made the trip to Wally World with some family and finished birthday shopping for the notoriously difficult to shop for 16 year old (tomorrow) Godson.  With some help from my happened upon ol’ chum, I was able to come up with something hopefully suitable.  Although, I think Elizabeth might get more use out of the 3D attachment for the iPhone 😉  I’m sure that the techno-saavy Joshua will find some pleasure from it.

Saturday night at our sister parish, Mare joined in the Catholic faith. Although I would have been honored to accept her invitation to join in the celebration, I had to work a 12-9 shift.  CONGRATULATIONS Mary!

Which brings me to the merriment of Easter Day.  Although each week’s mass is special, there is something awesome and amazing about emerging from the 40 day journey of Lent.  Hopefully on Easter Day, we can all look at ourselves and project a different “reflection” than when we started.  One in which we are closer to our creator and yet knowing that at times we will inevitably fall short.  After all, we are only human.  Father Art with his unique brand of humor drove the reflection point home by use of a full-length mirror.  He constantly pronounced his dislike of said mirrors in every facet of life from fun houses to just looking into ordinary ones.  Is it just me or is he part vampire? Or perhaps more likely, it was because the mirror he had was taller than himself.

This afternoon, the family gathered at the local restaurant for Easter buffet.  One of the major Earth-shatterning topics was the brilliance of the latest installment in the American Pie movie series.  I guess the cast has matured and gathered to celebrate a class reunion.  Aptly entitle American Reunion, it sounds like a wait 3 months to rent flick to me.

Finally this evening, the family plus some of our extended members gathered at Jeff’s for Shelby and Joshua’s birthday celebration.  And more creamed chicken sandwiches 😀 Honestly, I don’t think I will ever let anyone forget the merriment of the wedding reception a few years ago.  Before the evening was complete, the topic and television turned to golf.  Like auto racing, this sport brings tears to my eyes.  I take more pleasure in picking out the most original sounding name and rooting him on to victory.  And did I pick a dandy!  Unfortunately, poor Louis Oosthuizen lost to Bubba Watson in a playoff round.  Seriously, Oosthuizen sounds like a close personal friend of  the Swedish Chef.  However,  I was assured that the golfer is African.

Speaking of the Swedish Chef, I presented the new Muppet movie to my 17 year old niece.  Shelby visited last week during Spring Break and asked if we could watch my copy and I decided that I would buy her own DVD copy of the fabulous Oscar-winning movie.  “Man or Muppet” was a nice redemption for the horrendous loss of the nominated “Rainbow Connection” back in 1980 (I think that is the correct year).

I hope that you all were able to enjoy the love, beauty, and majesty of the Easter mystery!