A New Home For the Bluecanopy

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Happy 2007

I've always liked January. Enough chill in the air to wear a sweater all day, crisp blue skies, an unblemished calendar on the kitchen wall...It's just nice, that's all. Fresh and nice.

So happy January....in which we celebrate the lives of both my children's patrons (Sts. Basil the Great and Juliana of Lazarevo), the month of the garnet, named after the Roman god of the doorway as it is the door of the year, the month when gold was first discovered by settlers in California, and most notably, National Soup Month in the U.S. (thank you wikipedia).

Our celebration of the New Year was spent at home watching a crass but admittedly funny Will Farrell movie, pizza and Chilean cabernet while the kids slept. I was honestly happy to stay home. I am a borderline intro/extrovert who leans heavily on the introverted side especially come midnight. I never completely enjoy New Year's Eve get-togethers...driving home so late amongst tipsy and exhausted operators of heavy machinery that happen to be whizzing by, wishing I could just be cuddled up in my sheets. Yep, I am a party pooper.

I do have fun childhood memories of eating fun finger foods, watching a movie and then going outside to bang pots and pans at midnight with my sister and parents. One year before Aaron and I were married, we caught the turn of the clock while sitting in a theatre watching that bad remake of Mr. Magoo. But to top them all, my dad actually had to get me out of bed for the big Y2K. I may have just said "happy new year" and gone back to bed, I can't even remember. I just wasn't interested. My kids will wonder why I didn't do anything exciting at the turn of the century just like I wondered why people couldn't recall what they were doing when Kennedy was shot. I'll probably regret it some day.

Well, go make some soup, look up at the sky and have a blessed 2007!

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuhp!

That's the sound of my blog gasping for breath...sorry for the silence. Life has been quite busy lately as it probably has been for most of you. I wish you all a blessed Nativity, Christ is Born!

We have been decompressing from the whirlwind of celebrations, all fun but tiring! The kids are enjoying their new goods, especially Basil who has discovered the thrill of riding downhill on a bicycle! We had to work a bit on how to turn the wheel to avoid crashing into the park bench at the bottom, but he's got it now :)

Let's see....since I last blogged lots has happened. My grandfather passed away on Friday the eighth. The day before we were able to visit with him and talk with him. I'm so thankful for those last moments spent with him. It has been hard, though. He was such a special man and death of a loved one is never an easy thing. I could write more, but I won't...I'm sure you understand. May his memory be eternal and may he rest in the presence of his Lord.

We also discovered through the amazing feats of modern science that the little wiggly creature inside me is actually a baby boy!

We are all excited...Basil is happy to have a prospective wrestling partner and Juliana thinks the ultrasound pictures are of a lion! She growls when she sees them...I think we were joking about whether it was a baby lion or a baby human just before the scan. It's pretty cute.

Here's a recent photo of the kids...our camera is still out of comission and man do I feel like my right arm is cut off...I really miss being able to pull it out whenever I want. Soon enough, though, soon enough. Well, have a nice day and enjoy the post-christmas lull and don't forget to keep celebrating!

From My Mother-in-Law (who happens to appreciate coffee both literal and metaphorical)

You may have read this already as it seems like something that would get passed around. I liked it. Thanks Jean...and a happy Friday to all :)

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive,and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and St ress."

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each other's cups."

"Now consider this:Life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups . Enjoy your coffee.

Camera's Down and I'm Plum out of Umph

Sooooo, no super-personal blog today. Just this food for thought.

"We choose by taking small steps of love, everytime there is an opportunity. A smile, a handshake, a word of encouragement, a phone call, a card, an embrace, a kind greeting, a gesture of support, a moment of attention, a helping hand, a present, a financial contribution, a visit, all these are little steps towards love...when we look back after many small steps of love, we will discover that we have made a long and beautiful journey."

Have a good Monday :)

Our Numbered Days

Attending a funeral is a great reminder of the reality of just how mortal we are, which is very. Our days are numbered and it has been said that the remembrance of this is a good thing.

Last Friday, the kids and I drove to St. Louis of France Catholic Church, a good 30 minutes away. This is the church where my parents were married and was my father's family parish fo many years. We were a bit late to the funeral Mass of a dear family friend known to me as Aunt Connie who had reposed earlier in the week. I was glad to be there and glad to give Basil the experience. As we drove from the church to the cemetary, the questions began. What happens to the body? Why do we bury it? Who does it? Do they take the body apart? Where is she? Words like casket, soul, resurrection, incorruption, digging, bones, prayers, and angels were flowing. I was glad to have answers, as feeble as they were. I tried to keep it simple yet honest and not scary. Who knows what he understood. I think he was more concerned about the logistics than the theology.

He had plenty of interesting thoughts but the cutest was about the inside of the church. It went something like this...

"Mommy, I really liked that church inside."

"What did you like?" (thinking stained glass, pews, music)

"I just really thought that big Jesus was going to come down and talk."

Yes, the result of having and icon behind the altar at our church and not a larger than life crucifix. It was endearing, really, to hear him so eager for Jesus to come to life and speak. An eagerness I should desire.

We finish our years like a sigh...So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:9,12

Accomplishments on a Mellow Monday


A tired mommy with a wobbly tummy utilizes the crock pot and sits in the backyard while watching her children squish tomatoes and dig in dirt. She is glad to have finished the boy's peter pan costume for next week. He is sure to be the only fuzzy fleece ( but warm) green guy trick-or-treating. Boy is exceedingly happy, though. Girl jumps in during the photo shoot and gives mom a grin. Aww. Kids are cute.

Any ideas on making a pan flute?