Thursday, December 10, 2009

Why it's been forever

...because Google doesn't let you just switch settings over to a new gmail account. You have to do it manually. And who wants to do that when there are Australian Shepherd puppies to chase around?

But I'm back, posting under the same old blog name (though I'm sure at some point I'll want to find a more appropriate title for a blog which is more about everyday life than about knitting projects), with a new email address. The old one still works so don't worry about it, but my new email address is my new name, formatted firstmiddlelast at gmail.com just like the old one.

As most of my readers know, I got married this summer to my best friend (man, I love these puns!) and I hope the excuse of settling into married life is a good enough one for my blogging hiatus. Except for the one we lost to miscarriage we have no babies yet, but we have had four Australian shepherds so far, one of whom stalked bugs until he got hit by a car, another of whom stalks deer at the in-laws' house now, and two who just tackle each other in our living room floor.

I'm happy to be able to blog again and brag about how beautiful every day is in my life. Hurrah for internet connections at home!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I have been overwhelmed with grace this week, and have recieved so much peace and guidance. I know it's because of all the prayers (and good thoughts, since I have some friends who don't pray) that have been coming my way.

I have much reason for sorrow in my life right now, but I also have much reason for joy. I have a wonderful man who loves me and is going to marry me just about as soon as I can finish making my dress. I have God's faithful promise that He wants me to marry my man, and to be happy with him. I have amazing friends who rally and prove their love for me, even when they don't know what's going on. The love of my friends is worth more than gold. Thank you. I've had a week-long retreat to get my spiritual life back in order and to pray about God's plan for me. And I sang at the wedding of two wonderful people whose love is an inspiration, and whose Tridentine Nuptial Mass filled me with a certain amount of Nerdy Catholic Pride for knowing the responses. Chelsea and Martin, congratulations, and may God bless your life together abundantly.

So thank you all for your prayers and good wishes, and please keep them coming, especially in the next couple of weeks while I wait for the inevitable-and-painfully-final. But don't worry about me. My life is still awesome.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Three days ago, I feared and lamented people's judgment. Today, I would give anything to have the reason for their judgment back.

My Philomena Grace, pray for me.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Prayers would be appreciated

The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.








No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of Heaven and Earth,
How can I keep from singing?

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Love Story, Part 1

School started, you know, sometime in the middle of January. I hadn't wanted to go back to school this semester. I was tired of it, felt it was useless, was ready to do more exciting and productive things than stress out about assignments I wasn't even interested in. As a result, I registered for classes just a couple of days before classes started, and discovered that my schedule didn't quite fit. Everything I needed was on Tuesday night, it seemed, and Tuesday was choir, and I knew I'd go crazy with another musicless semester. I juggled and schemed, and signed up for Curriculum Development, Educational Research, and Learning Styles (Part Two).

Enter the Learning Styles class Wednesday night. (I promise, it becomes a love story soon.) Jackie B walks into the classroom with her box of learning games (what would be the point of a learning styles class if we had to sit still all class and listen to a lecture, as if we were all low-mobility and auditory?) looks at me, and says, "but you passed this class last semester!"

Right. Learning Styles Part Two? Happening in Broken Arrow, on a totally different night. I signed up for the same class I'd already taken. And, as she pointed out, passed. With flying colors, I might add.

So, five minutes later I was in Dr. C's office saying "What do I do? I have to be full-time to get health insurance, and this was all that fit in my schedule!" And she said, "Do you have to be in choir?" And I said "YES." And she said, "ok, here's what we can do. I'll put you in this super-useful undergrad class which will actually teach you HOW to teach, and not just tell you about theorists, and you will contract with the professor for extra work for grad credit." And I said, "super."

Enter said undergrad classroom the next Monday. Actually, we're going to skip till the next Wednesday, since the prof was gone on Monday. There's a very opinionated auburn-haired boy in a baseball cap across the table from me. He has a charming smile. His nametag says "Ryan." End of story.

Several weeks later, he still had a charming smile, but this time he was smoking outside the Education building as I walked in. I waved and kept walking. He finished his cigarette and started walking behind me. I really wanted to turn around and say something, but I couldn't think of anything, so I continued awkwardly walking in front of him and pretended I wasn't acutely aware of his presence behind me.

February 16, I was wearing Leokadia's beautiful blue dress, a lacy white shirt, and black leggings.

Ryan: You look nice!
Mc: (didn't even hear him. Was staring vacantly at the wall, or something.)
Beth: I don't think she heard you.
Ryan: Well, fine then. Nevermind.
Me: Huh???
Dr. G: Just to remind you, we're not having class on Wednesday the 25th. Don't show up.
Ryan: That's Ash Wednesday.
Me: Catholic Identification Day!
Ryan: (huffy) Well, then I guess I'm gonna have to be identified, because I'm a Catholic.
Me: You are?? That's awesome! Me too!
Ryan: ...oh. (feels silly for being huffy)

And that, my chickpeas, is how we met. Later that day he asked me if I knew about Clear Creek Monastery, and I said, "oh my gawsh." You know, that's only why I MOVED here. He "knows the B----- family really well." Begin flashback to one of the B---- girls telling me, months ago, that "we have this friend who goes to (decently large school where hopefully I'm anonymous enough not to be stalkable, but I'm still not gonna say the name) named Ryan, and we really want you to meet him! He's funny, and you're going to like him a lot." So I decided to give him a chance, or at least to let him keep following me around like a puppy dog.

And the rest, as they say, is history. We started dating two days later, and two weeks later we'd decided to get married. Six weeks after we met, I have a ring on my finger, but that story is for a later installment.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The Passion of Christ in Lego!

Please watch this. You will not be disappointed. Bonus trivia: the gigantically talented kids who put this together probably aren't even eligible for a high school diploma yet (though you never know, maybe they're homeschooled). Yet another reason why our present school system is S-I-L-L-Y.

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/the_passion_of_christ_in_lego#When:18:00:00Z

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Ice storm photos!

As promised, pictures from the ice storm a few weeks ago. On Monday, Jan. 26, to be exact, it rained, and that rain froze. Then it sleeted. Then it snowed. Then it sleeted again. And then we couldn't get out the driveway. Stranded! So... I played photographer! (Northerners, especially some I know on facebook, shut up about how much worse your winters are. There's a reason I live in Oklahoma.)


It looks very sweet and pastoral, but Lulu (the puppy) is really about to bite Esmerelda's (the cat's) head. Esmerelda doesn't fancy this fascination with the flavor of her head very much, but what can she do? Lulu is rather bigger than she is.


Some of the chickens huddled under the house. They don't have names, my dear readers, so you can't anthropomorphize them. More importantly, we can't anthromorphize them, which makes them easier to eat later on.

Bread crusts soaked in warm water is comfort food for chickens. Here Ridiculously Obese Rooster #1 (sometimes called Turkey, sometimes called Food) shares a moment with his favorite hen...

...and the guineas don't seem to know when they're not invited. They lack social graces.

Ever heard the phrase "Cocky as a bantam rooster?" It's true.

They don't have mirrors, and therefore happily live the fantasy that they are the biggest men around.

This (really) big man (Chanticleer) wants you to know that he is most emphatically NOT a bantam rooster. Excuse the dirty window - I wasn't about to clean it in this weather, and he would have stopped crowing as soon as I went outside. I've tried to catch him crowing many times, and he always stops as soon as he sees the camera. Standing on the porch railing , surveying his territory and crowing is one of his favorite pastimes.


You live in the country when you have t-posts keeping your mailbox from getting knocked down.

The porch at night. I was mostly playing with camera settings and getting the icicles at the same time, but check out the super-classy shoe organizer on the bench with the bowl of cat food on top of it where the dogs can't reach it. The chickens can, though, so we just chase them off the porch.

The end! More pictures are here if anybody wants to see them.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Lookee mee, I'm posting!

oOmigosh I'm so accomplished. Today I have:
*put new bedding in chicken coop
*spread mulch over garden
*hoed rows in garden
*planted carrots, broccoli, mustard greens and cabbage in rows
*planted swiss chard, kohlrabi, spinach and a whole bunch of lettuce mixes in planter boxes on porch
*cleaned up kitchen
*baked bread

And it's only 3 pm!

I'm currently trying to edit pictures from the ice storm a few weeks ago and post them, so if anybody within several counties of me hears an unfamiliar soprano voice wailing "WHY THE HECK IS MY IPHOTO SO SLOW????" it's me.