I found an inspiring YouTube channel for videos of Catholic devotional prayers such as the rosary and the chaplet of Divine Mercy.
http://www.youtube.com/user/mysaviormygod
If you thought that praying the rosary was just repeating prayers, these videos will help you learn about the important mysteries one is supposed to contemplate during the prayers. This one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS0xsCH4CtA uses good voice talents, music, film clips, and scripture quotes to help us focus on the message of the Joyful Mysteries. There are three videos just to cover the Joyful Mysteries; these remember the events that were joyful for the Holy Family, from the very beginning of Jesus' life on earth. There are other videos for the Glorious (Resurrection is one), Sorrowful (The Cross) and Luminous (follows Jesus from the River Jordan to the Last Supper) mysteries.
A detailed explanation of how to pray the rosary is found here:
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm
Also note that you can listen to these prayers and scripture quotes (often set to music) at www.spiritfm905.com radio or www.ewtn.com radio or television. You can get Spirit FM 90.5 on regular broadcast radio throughout Tampa Bay and many cable systems carry EWTN TV.
A few words from little old me . . .
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Wandering 'round Wally World
Well, we went to Super Wal-mart this morning. It wasn't too crowded; perhaps some folks don't have as much money at the end of the month? I had to get some school supplies and we needed motor oil, air filters and a bunch of different things.
While wandering through the aisles, we saw a pair of young teenage boys. One was wearing a Halloween mask, obviously one on sale at the store, which he had not yet purchased. He said to us, "Hey, I like your mask!" Hilarious, of course, because we weren't wearing masks, we are just old (forty-something) people. So, I said, "Ha-ha, very funny," and continued with my shopping, ignoring them.
Saw them again, in a different aisle, racing around, now both with masks, wigs and a plastic trick-or-treat jack-o-lantern. They say, "trick-or-treat!" I said, "Ha-ha, sorry, I don't have anything."
You'd think that would have been the end of it, but no. One boy says, "Money would be just fine!" Hmm, cute little imp; just go right up to a stranger, while in disguise and ask for money! I said, "Sorry I don't have any money," and started to walk past them, trying to ignore them. Then one said, "Well, how are you going to pay for that stuff in your cart? Why don't you put some of it back?" Now I was getting pretty irritated. I told them that I was a teacher, but didn't say where, and told them I didn't want to play their silly games. Then, one said, "You see, all teachers are rude!" Okay, I'm the one who was rude in that situation, because it isn't rude at all to accost complete strangers at Wal-mart!
Made me think of Dennis the Menace. Mr. Wilson was irritable, partly because he was older and set in his ways, like many of us including me. But Dennis truly was annoying. The difference is that Dennis didn't mean to be annoying; he wasn't trying to incite ire for kicks and was apologetic when corrected.
Robert was in another part of the store by the time of the second encounter. I don't think these kiddos would have been so bold had Robert been within sight.
While wandering through the aisles, we saw a pair of young teenage boys. One was wearing a Halloween mask, obviously one on sale at the store, which he had not yet purchased. He said to us, "Hey, I like your mask!" Hilarious, of course, because we weren't wearing masks, we are just old (forty-something) people. So, I said, "Ha-ha, very funny," and continued with my shopping, ignoring them.
Saw them again, in a different aisle, racing around, now both with masks, wigs and a plastic trick-or-treat jack-o-lantern. They say, "trick-or-treat!" I said, "Ha-ha, sorry, I don't have anything."
You'd think that would have been the end of it, but no. One boy says, "Money would be just fine!" Hmm, cute little imp; just go right up to a stranger, while in disguise and ask for money! I said, "Sorry I don't have any money," and started to walk past them, trying to ignore them. Then one said, "Well, how are you going to pay for that stuff in your cart? Why don't you put some of it back?" Now I was getting pretty irritated. I told them that I was a teacher, but didn't say where, and told them I didn't want to play their silly games. Then, one said, "You see, all teachers are rude!" Okay, I'm the one who was rude in that situation, because it isn't rude at all to accost complete strangers at Wal-mart!
Made me think of Dennis the Menace. Mr. Wilson was irritable, partly because he was older and set in his ways, like many of us including me. But Dennis truly was annoying. The difference is that Dennis didn't mean to be annoying; he wasn't trying to incite ire for kicks and was apologetic when corrected.
Robert was in another part of the store by the time of the second encounter. I don't think these kiddos would have been so bold had Robert been within sight.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tilapia and more
Fresh tilapia was on sale at Publix this weekend so that's what we baked that for supper along with some zucchini. Simple and yummy. Still have another meal-for-two's worth of tilapia in the freezer. May try grilling that later in the week.
We also made some things that we'll eat during the week. Robert made meatballs; he added salsa to make them moist and different. I made a beef stew in the crock-pot; my special additions were a splash of merlot and just a bit of Salt-free Spike (r) and Gravy Master (r).
We stocked up at the grocery store yesterday, so I'm thinking we won't have to do much shopping during the week. Then on Saturday, we will pick up our monthly prepaid SHARE order. This time we are getting an extra good price on extra-lean ground beef, and of course the usual very fresh, bargain-priced in-season produce.
Laundry is caught up, and I cleaned and whitened my sneakers. So it's looking as though I'm mostly ready for the week.
We also made some things that we'll eat during the week. Robert made meatballs; he added salsa to make them moist and different. I made a beef stew in the crock-pot; my special additions were a splash of merlot and just a bit of Salt-free Spike (r) and Gravy Master (r).
We stocked up at the grocery store yesterday, so I'm thinking we won't have to do much shopping during the week. Then on Saturday, we will pick up our monthly prepaid SHARE order. This time we are getting an extra good price on extra-lean ground beef, and of course the usual very fresh, bargain-priced in-season produce.
Laundry is caught up, and I cleaned and whitened my sneakers. So it's looking as though I'm mostly ready for the week.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Closet Cleaning
Spent a good part of today re-organizing our bedroom walk-in closet. Now there are only shoes, neatly arranged, by color and type on the floor -- no belts, scarves or various other things that may have fallen. I organized my clothes by color and type also so it will be easier to get ready for church or work. All my very casual and workout clothes are in dresser drawers.
I ended up with a large kitchen garbage bag full of clothes to throw away, two bags to give away, and a huge lawn trash bag of winter things that I will probably only use during a few days in January or February.
Best part was that Robert vacuumed the closet floor! I just hate vacuuming, because I can't stand the sound of the machine!
All of the give-away stuff is in decent shape, it just doesn't fit me any longer because I've lost weight. I thought for a minute that perhaps I should have a yard sale. Then I thought about how remote our neighborhood is, how hot the weather is, and the ever-present possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm. We are on a dead-end street so we don't have any through traffic. So, even though I could use some extra cash, I thought it better to donate all of it to a charity thrift store. It will bless the charity and some people who need bargain clothes. Some of the shirts were old youth ministry tees that have faith-filled sayings on them, maybe they will even inspire someone or at least make them smile. It is a small way that I'm able to give when I don't have much money to share.
The whole process of sorting and discarding was somewhat emotional. I didn't want to get rid of an outfit that Robert's mom gave me about five years ago, simply because it reminds me of her and the shopping trip when we picked it out together for my birthday. I've worn and washed it so much, it is looking old and it's a bit too loose and pajama-like now -- not as flattering. Robert says the floral pattern reminds me of the clothes that Maria made out of draperies for the Captain's kids in The Sound of Music. He wanted me to get rid of it. But I kept it anyway and rotated it into the group of clothes I use for bike rides and exercise clothes. Just want to hang on to it a bit longer.
I ended up with a large kitchen garbage bag full of clothes to throw away, two bags to give away, and a huge lawn trash bag of winter things that I will probably only use during a few days in January or February.
Best part was that Robert vacuumed the closet floor! I just hate vacuuming, because I can't stand the sound of the machine!
All of the give-away stuff is in decent shape, it just doesn't fit me any longer because I've lost weight. I thought for a minute that perhaps I should have a yard sale. Then I thought about how remote our neighborhood is, how hot the weather is, and the ever-present possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm. We are on a dead-end street so we don't have any through traffic. So, even though I could use some extra cash, I thought it better to donate all of it to a charity thrift store. It will bless the charity and some people who need bargain clothes. Some of the shirts were old youth ministry tees that have faith-filled sayings on them, maybe they will even inspire someone or at least make them smile. It is a small way that I'm able to give when I don't have much money to share.
The whole process of sorting and discarding was somewhat emotional. I didn't want to get rid of an outfit that Robert's mom gave me about five years ago, simply because it reminds me of her and the shopping trip when we picked it out together for my birthday. I've worn and washed it so much, it is looking old and it's a bit too loose and pajama-like now -- not as flattering. Robert says the floral pattern reminds me of the clothes that Maria made out of draperies for the Captain's kids in The Sound of Music. He wanted me to get rid of it. But I kept it anyway and rotated it into the group of clothes I use for bike rides and exercise clothes. Just want to hang on to it a bit longer.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Counting my blessings
Many days it has been quite stressful at work. Let's just say it's a tough audience! I am counting my blessings, today, though! At least I have a job! Either five or six teachers at my school lost their positions, because enrollment in one of the grades was lower than anticipated. I hear that the school district will work hard to place them elsewhere, but it has to be very upsetting and unsettling.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Cooking up a storm!
I had some small amounts of different kinds of ground meat in the freezer, leftover from my summertime Great Burger Experiment of developing recipes for the Build A Better Burger Contest http://www.buildabetterburger.com/. So I decided to thaw some ground beef (chuck), pork, and lamb and create Everything But the Kitchen Sink Chili. I added lots of veggies, two kinds of beans, a little beef broth and tomato sauce, and plenty of spices. I hope it tastes as good as it smells because it smells wonderful right now!
(I drained most of the fat off of the meat, because I'm used to chili made with extra-lean ground beef, not these fattier meats. The beans and veggies will balance out any remaining fat.)
At the same time, I grew tired of looking at the cans of pumpkin and evaporated 1% milk sitting on the shelf, so I am baking some pumpkin pie. I didn't want to fuss with making a regular pie crust so I made a graham cracker crust - again, the graham cracker crumbs had been on the shelf for awhile. Don't worry, nothing's past it's expiration date - I checked!
It has been a day of making good things out of ignored pantry items and leftovers. Robert will sometimes look in the fridge and cupboards, and say "there's nothing to eat, we have to go shopping," and is always amazed when I'm able to "make food out of nothing."
(I drained most of the fat off of the meat, because I'm used to chili made with extra-lean ground beef, not these fattier meats. The beans and veggies will balance out any remaining fat.)
At the same time, I grew tired of looking at the cans of pumpkin and evaporated 1% milk sitting on the shelf, so I am baking some pumpkin pie. I didn't want to fuss with making a regular pie crust so I made a graham cracker crust - again, the graham cracker crumbs had been on the shelf for awhile. Don't worry, nothing's past it's expiration date - I checked!
It has been a day of making good things out of ignored pantry items and leftovers. Robert will sometimes look in the fridge and cupboards, and say "there's nothing to eat, we have to go shopping," and is always amazed when I'm able to "make food out of nothing."
Friday, September 10, 2010
It's Friday!
I'm so glad it's Friday. It was pay day and an end to a chaotic week. Still getting new students in some of my classes. Had to call some parents today about unruly student behavior. Actually didn't get to call each one I wanted to call.
Have a headache and hoping it's gone by the morning. I have a bunch of lesson planning to do for the week.
Planning to stock up on groceries tomorrow and menu-plan as well.
Also praying for new job opportunities for Robert.
Have a headache and hoping it's gone by the morning. I have a bunch of lesson planning to do for the week.
Planning to stock up on groceries tomorrow and menu-plan as well.
Also praying for new job opportunities for Robert.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The drive home - part two
About thirty seconds after I pulled onto the I-275 on-ramp, I realized that I had chosen the wrong one and I was heading south into downtown Tampa instead of north toward home. Traffic was backed up for miles in this direction, it was a sea of taillights. Then it started to rain. Hard. So hard, I could barely see and my two older tires were skittering across the lane. Unsettling feeling, but didn't lose control. Wait. And wait. Couldn't get over to the first exit, had to go to the next and get back on I-275 going north. About twenty minutes later, I was finally back where I should have originally gotten on the road! **Sigh** Still an hour from home!
The rest of the drive was pretty routine, first city, then country, then towns, then country again until home. Varied weather from heavy rain to bright sunshine to everything in between. Listened to my favorite radio station SpiritFM 90.5 on the way.
Finally got home a bit after 6 p.m. Robert had spaghetti waiting for me. :-)
The rest of the drive was pretty routine, first city, then country, then towns, then country again until home. Varied weather from heavy rain to bright sunshine to everything in between. Listened to my favorite radio station SpiritFM 90.5 on the way.
Finally got home a bit after 6 p.m. Robert had spaghetti waiting for me. :-)
The drive home - part one
Left work today at around 4:40 - plenty of time to beat the traffic, right? That was the plan, as I wanted to take the slightly longer, non-toll route today. Well, I ran into a few delays. I stopped for gas at the station nearest school, in the Seminole Heights part of Tampa. I walked in to pay, and saw and smelled a strange man with a towel or piece of clothing over his head and face, gesturing wildly (at someone?) toward the windows, mumbling and filling out a lottery purchase slip. Great! At least he wasn't in line in front of me! Only reminding myself now, that I should say a prayer for people who are obviously having emotional difficulty, instead of simply avoiding them.
Then I saw a somewhat anxious looking petite lady looking around the convenience store, but not getting in line to buy anything. Soon learned that her car had broken down a couple of blocks away, and her cell phone had no charge. She was getting pretty flustered by the fact that there are no payphones anywhere, not even at a gas station store, which always had them in the past. So, I'm thinking I don't know this lady, should I let her use my phone? Could it be a scam and she is trying to take my phone or money? But something about her seemed okay, and it really is a pretty decent neighborhood.
So, I offered to call someone for her and asked her name and the friend's name and number. Maria wanted me to call Larry for her. Hmm, odd coincidence, today is the day we Catholics celebrate the birthday of the Virgin Mary. Once I got Larry on the phone, I decided, this is silly, she's just a regular person in a pickle, and I give her the phone to talk to Larry. Knowing, she had help on the way, I put my phone away and went back to the car to continue my trip. I was feeling few minutes were lost, I had done a good deed, and here I was right by the on-ramp to I-275, no worries.
Then I saw a somewhat anxious looking petite lady looking around the convenience store, but not getting in line to buy anything. Soon learned that her car had broken down a couple of blocks away, and her cell phone had no charge. She was getting pretty flustered by the fact that there are no payphones anywhere, not even at a gas station store, which always had them in the past. So, I'm thinking I don't know this lady, should I let her use my phone? Could it be a scam and she is trying to take my phone or money? But something about her seemed okay, and it really is a pretty decent neighborhood.
So, I offered to call someone for her and asked her name and the friend's name and number. Maria wanted me to call Larry for her. Hmm, odd coincidence, today is the day we Catholics celebrate the birthday of the Virgin Mary. Once I got Larry on the phone, I decided, this is silly, she's just a regular person in a pickle, and I give her the phone to talk to Larry. Knowing, she had help on the way, I put my phone away and went back to the car to continue my trip. I was feeling few minutes were lost, I had done a good deed, and here I was right by the on-ramp to I-275, no worries.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Good health
I have been doing really well on my weight loss / improved health efforts that I started in late June of this year.
I am tracking everything I eat and drink and my exercise on http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/. I will try to keep this up at least until the end of the calendar year. I’m just now adding specific exercise like walking and biking (above normal housework, standing all day at school and other normal activity). I have been reducing my daily intake as I lose, using the online calculator which relies on the logic that a smaller mass does not need as much food. Anyway, it is all very healthful and monitored, and I am not using any weight loss medicines or super-low-calorie diets to do it.
A plus I’ve seen so far is that as long as I keep my sodium very low (under 1500 mg daily), my blood pressure stays low, so I don’t have to take any meds for it. Found that is trickier than keeping the calories low. Have to make everything from scratch, but I like to cook, so that’s no problem. I can’t afford restaurant dining right now, so that is a blessing in disguise, because I am not tempted to eat unhealthful things. It’s one thing to limit portion size, but if you don’t know exactly how something was made, you can really only guess as to how much you can have. I bring my lunch to work daily, so I know exactly what’s in it, and Robert and I usually cook breakfast and dinner together daily.
I am tracking everything I eat and drink and my exercise on http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/. I will try to keep this up at least until the end of the calendar year. I’m just now adding specific exercise like walking and biking (above normal housework, standing all day at school and other normal activity). I have been reducing my daily intake as I lose, using the online calculator which relies on the logic that a smaller mass does not need as much food. Anyway, it is all very healthful and monitored, and I am not using any weight loss medicines or super-low-calorie diets to do it.
A plus I’ve seen so far is that as long as I keep my sodium very low (under 1500 mg daily), my blood pressure stays low, so I don’t have to take any meds for it. Found that is trickier than keeping the calories low. Have to make everything from scratch, but I like to cook, so that’s no problem. I can’t afford restaurant dining right now, so that is a blessing in disguise, because I am not tempted to eat unhealthful things. It’s one thing to limit portion size, but if you don’t know exactly how something was made, you can really only guess as to how much you can have. I bring my lunch to work daily, so I know exactly what’s in it, and Robert and I usually cook breakfast and dinner together daily.
Bike ride on Labor Day
Rode my bicycle around the neighborhood for about a half hour during the late morning, just before lunchtime. Saw the mini-cattle, Curly & Moe again! Curly was relaxing, reclined under a shade tree, while Moe was grazing? Or was it the other way around? They are pretty much identical -- I can't tell them apart! Didn't stop to say "hello" to them because their owner doesn't want them to get too friendly with anyone but him - that makes them tend to wander.
Three puppies chased me for a few yards; I wish their owner would not allow them to play in the street. Saw some kids driving ATVs - supervised by parents, but no helmets or shoes - that's not their way up here in the boondocks. Hmm, I didn't wear a bike helmet either, but then I only go about 10 mph. Still - guess I could set a better example!
When I got home the neighbor's chihuahua started barking at me with a big-dog bravado - too funny!
Three puppies chased me for a few yards; I wish their owner would not allow them to play in the street. Saw some kids driving ATVs - supervised by parents, but no helmets or shoes - that's not their way up here in the boondocks. Hmm, I didn't wear a bike helmet either, but then I only go about 10 mph. Still - guess I could set a better example!
When I got home the neighbor's chihuahua started barking at me with a big-dog bravado - too funny!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Interesting books
Think I want to get the Chronicles of Narnia boxed set for Robert - maybe for Christmas: http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Narnia-Boxed-Set/dp/0064471195
First post!
Okay, I am trying blogger for the first time! Not too sure how this will be different than Facebook, but I'll learn. Whoa, I just discovered I can choose different fonts and text colors, underline and italicize! Woo hoo ~ that means I can actually write movie and book titles in the proper way!
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