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Wonderful site for preparing for CLEP science exams and advanced high school biology.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
My Daily Domestic Clips 04/01/2011 (a.m.)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
My Daily Domestic Clips 03/30/2011 (a.m.)
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Uncle Tom's Cabin -- Vocabulary (More Options Menu)
Vocaublary words for Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
7- Quick takes - the Lenten Birthday Edition
Join Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary.
1. My hospital bill for getting a 6 cm lipoma taken off came to about $2500 dollars, give or take. If they had their prices listed somewhere I'm sure I would have decided just to LIVE WITH IT! But as they couldn't tell me ahead of time and now we have the amount there is nothing left to do but pay it. Since I am getting a tax refund I asked the billing office if I could get a discount by paying the entire amount. Surprisingly the answer was no!!? So we will be paying this sucker off one month at a time- and why not since there is no interest on a medical bill!
2. That doesn't include the surgeon and anesthesia - I'm just going to pay those because I'll never be able to keep that all straight!
3. So Noah just turned 13. His birthday is on March 25, which is on the feast of the annunciation. That's a pretty cool birthday to have! But when your birthday falls on a Lenten Friday, it doesn't seem too appropriate to have a big party. So we had his party almost a week early on a Saturday! He and two of his friends and his brothers went to Laser Quest and had a blast! Interestingly 21-year-old Calvin was the first one to arrive and seemed the most excited about the event! I guess Laser questing is fun at 13 or 21! I guess our group did get some looks as the kids were 21, 18, 15, three 13 year old boys and then pretty little Izzy who felt that even though she was a girl, she should be able to play too! After shooting at each other with laser guns for an hour, it was home for the partay!!
(and I'm not editing this - the place looked lived in !)
4. Izzy wanted to make Noah's birthday cake. Izzy is the kind of girl who watches all the cake shows on t.v. A few weeks ago I went into the computer room and she quickly tried to change the screen on the computer. Alarmed and suspicious I checked the history and found that my precious girl had been watching hours of Cake Boss!!So she kept bugging Noah about what kind of cake he wanted, and because he didn't know and because he was tired of her pestering him he yelled out, "I want an Octopus cake!!"
Izzy was delighted and got right to work on it!
5. I had never heard of fondant before. When I was growing up we just iced cakes! But these cake shows use fondant all of the time! I had no idea where to even look for it, but one day I was in the craft store and I found a lot of it! So I bought some for Izzy to use on the octopus cake - She was so delighted I thought it was her birthday!
6. Here is the finished product!
7. A few days later, Mr. Pete has had birthday. He didn't want a cake, he wanted a brownie with ice cream and we aim to please!
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Feast of the Annunciation
Fra Angelico - Annunciation
Originally uploaded by Jasiot
Gabriel is the messenger and the comforter. He brings Mary this important and miraculous message from God. I wonder at how this young girl is able to take it all in and then with a level and clear mind give her consent to the God.
The Annunciation
Originally uploaded by The Pluralism Project
Feast of the Annunciation (Lady Day)
Originally uploaded by DF9999
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor - Taming of the Shrew
Elizabeth Taylor passed away today. I'm old enough to remember when she and Richard Burton were on all the tabloids staring back at me when I went to the grocery store with my grandparents for the weekly stock up!
Taylor and Burton starred in a version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
I remembered it as a kid and I watched it recently on VHS from the library. It is very enjoyable and laugh-out-loud funny in places! If you have students in your homeschool (or even in regular school) you might enjoy watching this with them. Elizabeth Taylor will surely be missed!
Kirstie Alley - moving at 60!
If you didn't catch Kirstie Alley on Dancing with the Stars on Monday, here is her performance!
Here's what I took away from it.
She's one of the oldest contestants, and she's overweight. So what! She put energy into her performance, she put in the work, and had fun! And the result is she looked fantastic and is near the top of the leader board (just behind 49-year-old Ralph Macchio (The original Karate Kid!).
I loved the gray workout top she wore for one of her practices, but overall big tops make you look bigger. I tend to do that too; we ladies think we're hiding when in reality it's accentuating. Her costume was just right for her on the ball room. I'm sure it had support features to it. It was to her knee and covered her well. It will be interesting to watch them dress her through the season as she progresses and continues to lose weight.
Here's what I took away from it.
She's one of the oldest contestants, and she's overweight. So what! She put energy into her performance, she put in the work, and had fun! And the result is she looked fantastic and is near the top of the leader board (just behind 49-year-old Ralph Macchio (The original Karate Kid!).
I loved the gray workout top she wore for one of her practices, but overall big tops make you look bigger. I tend to do that too; we ladies think we're hiding when in reality it's accentuating. Her costume was just right for her on the ball room. I'm sure it had support features to it. It was to her knee and covered her well. It will be interesting to watch them dress her through the season as she progresses and continues to lose weight.
Works for Me Wednesday
I finally got our taxes in over the weekend! Whoo hoo!!
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I e-file. I also do all of my paper work through Turbo Tax.
When Mr. Pete and I were first married we did it all by hand because it wasn't that complicated, but after a few years we wondered if we were paying too much. We went to a tax preparer and were pretty happy but eventually we thought there had to be a less expensive way of getting our taxes done. That's when we looked into Turbo tax.
Turbo Tax takes me step-by-step through the information process, very much like a tax preparer does. It asks all the questions and even jars the memory for things I have forgotten. It helps me to organize my stuff to prepare for this fact finding to get ready for next year's tax season! It also double checks my work before I file it and helps me with the state tax as well. Since I do have a small business (e-bay and transcription) I find all of that help in preparing a Schedule C to be very helpful.
Here are some of the highlights I really appreciate.
* It transfers all of our information from the prior year onto the current year's return. I only have to enter all of those social security numbers once and from then on, while I use this computer, it transfers automatically.
* I can save a copy of my return as a PDF file that I can print out as needed.
* It gives me a comparison from the previous year.
* As a subscriber it automatically sends me the next year's Turbo tax in a timely manner - it also alerts me so that I don't have an unexpected charge on my credit card.
* Lost your Turbo Tax CD? No problem! I couldn't find mine when I wanted to load it (I'm sure I'll find it during spring cleaning!) so I called Turbo Tax and they showed me how to download it from the net - sweet!
* Gives me the option of getting my refund directly into my bank account.
* And even when I had to pay, it's easy to print off my return as well as the address to send off to the IRS.
The downside is that their online customer service is really really slow! I was on hold for over 45 minutes - but when I did get someone he really took his time with me and helped me out. I think they just need to get more help during tax season!
And after reading this column by Dave Ramsey, I really think e-filing is the way to go, and for that I'm glad I use Turbo Tax. Works for Me!
Other Turbo Tax reviews:
About
Kosher on a Budget
Top Ten Reviews
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Regular folks auditioning to sing the National Anthem!
This is pretty sweet. Our town has a professional baseball team and last weekend they held auditions for regular folks to go down and sing the national anthem. Here is a sampling of some amazing local talent!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Losing your life to keep it - the two Mrs. Rs.
It's funny sometimes how God puts a juxtaposition into clear view. For me that was the lives of two very different women, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto and Mrs. R.
On St. Patrick's Day last week, a very dear lady and mother to one of my friends named Mrs. R., passed away. She was married to the love of her life for 65 years, had eight children, and also worked as a cardiology nurse. She gave her time and her talent to her church and was much loved and admired by many.
*******
Last week I began to hear about author Rahna Reiko Rizzuto. Ms. Rizzuto has recently written a book
about why she decided to give up being a full-time mother and follow her other passions. She is on the talk-show circuit to promote it. Basically, about ten years ago she had a chance to go to Japan for six months to do some research and left behind her husband and two young sons, ages 3 and 5 at the time. She found the experiencing so rewarding that she decided to end her marriage and gave full custody of her children to her husband.
According to Ms. Rizzuto, in Japan she realized the truth about herself. "I did that thing that I didn't want to do, give up my life for someone else." Motherhood had become "all encompassing" and she had allowed herself to be "swallowed up."
To rectify the situation, her kids now pop in after school three times a week to do homework and make dinner. From her perspective, this has worked out well for her family, and has made her a better mother. She says, "I am able to pay attention to them in that block of five or six hours in ways that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to." Her kids don't do overnights. She was happy to miss the "throwing up in the middle of the night."
As a result she has been able to "give myself more priority." She says further, "We have to have the freedom to decide what we it is we are going to do and how it is we are going to shape our motherhood and shape our lives."
When asked about her children she says, "My children are fine and not traumatized. They have everything they need. The truth is it is not coming from the people they think it should be coming from."
*********
I've been quietly mulling this all over. It seems to me that Ms. Rizzuto has effectively turned in her role of mother for that of a part-time afterschool care provider. She's been able to get away with it, at least in her own mind and she wrote a book to profit from it too. If her children are sure of one thing, it's that she is her own #1 priority and they might come a distant 2nd or 3rd. Unless they're sick. She doesn't like to do sick - especially at night.
And while the novelty of her chutzpah might sell a few books I wouldn't be surprised to find this one in the dollar bin shortly. Bottom line is that she threw away her chance to love, mold, shape and guide the children she brought into this world. Stories of abandonment and self-centeredness don't inspire and uplift people.
*********
Mrs. R. inspired us though. The funeral home was packed, the funeral was well-attended, and there were memories, tears and laughter as her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends shared their stories about the life of this wonderful woman. You see Mrs. R. learned how to do that thing which eluded Ms. Rizzuto - she learned to fully find herself by allowing herself to be lost; that by total giving, she gained everything; and that by complete loving she became much loved.
I loved the story told at her homily today about how she brought tape recordings of heart sounds home so that she could study them in her quest to become a better cardiology nurse. She played them at the breakfast table and her kids heard them too! She didn't run away from her family to make herself a priority! By including her family she was able to enrich everybody including herself. It was by being all encompassed as a wife and mother that she became a better nurse, a better person, and a better Christian. Her example inspired us in a way that book about self-centered choices never could.
Ms. Rizzuto says that women have a story that needs to be heard. Mrs. R's story was not only heard, but learned and remembered and will be passed down fondly for years to come. Mrs. R. didn't write a book. She lived her life well and completely - and in doing so she became the best version of herself that she could ever be. And unlike the yellow decay of aging book pages, her example, influences and memory will live on. That's how to live a life well. Well done Mrs. R.
On St. Patrick's Day last week, a very dear lady and mother to one of my friends named Mrs. R., passed away. She was married to the love of her life for 65 years, had eight children, and also worked as a cardiology nurse. She gave her time and her talent to her church and was much loved and admired by many.
*******
Last week I began to hear about author Rahna Reiko Rizzuto. Ms. Rizzuto has recently written a book
about why she decided to give up being a full-time mother and follow her other passions. She is on the talk-show circuit to promote it. Basically, about ten years ago she had a chance to go to Japan for six months to do some research and left behind her husband and two young sons, ages 3 and 5 at the time. She found the experiencing so rewarding that she decided to end her marriage and gave full custody of her children to her husband. According to Ms. Rizzuto, in Japan she realized the truth about herself. "I did that thing that I didn't want to do, give up my life for someone else." Motherhood had become "all encompassing" and she had allowed herself to be "swallowed up."
To rectify the situation, her kids now pop in after school three times a week to do homework and make dinner. From her perspective, this has worked out well for her family, and has made her a better mother. She says, "I am able to pay attention to them in that block of five or six hours in ways that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to." Her kids don't do overnights. She was happy to miss the "throwing up in the middle of the night."
As a result she has been able to "give myself more priority." She says further, "We have to have the freedom to decide what we it is we are going to do and how it is we are going to shape our motherhood and shape our lives."
When asked about her children she says, "My children are fine and not traumatized. They have everything they need. The truth is it is not coming from the people they think it should be coming from."
*********
I've been quietly mulling this all over. It seems to me that Ms. Rizzuto has effectively turned in her role of mother for that of a part-time afterschool care provider. She's been able to get away with it, at least in her own mind and she wrote a book to profit from it too. If her children are sure of one thing, it's that she is her own #1 priority and they might come a distant 2nd or 3rd. Unless they're sick. She doesn't like to do sick - especially at night.
And while the novelty of her chutzpah might sell a few books I wouldn't be surprised to find this one in the dollar bin shortly. Bottom line is that she threw away her chance to love, mold, shape and guide the children she brought into this world. Stories of abandonment and self-centeredness don't inspire and uplift people.
*********
Mrs. R. inspired us though. The funeral home was packed, the funeral was well-attended, and there were memories, tears and laughter as her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family and friends shared their stories about the life of this wonderful woman. You see Mrs. R. learned how to do that thing which eluded Ms. Rizzuto - she learned to fully find herself by allowing herself to be lost; that by total giving, she gained everything; and that by complete loving she became much loved.
I loved the story told at her homily today about how she brought tape recordings of heart sounds home so that she could study them in her quest to become a better cardiology nurse. She played them at the breakfast table and her kids heard them too! She didn't run away from her family to make herself a priority! By including her family she was able to enrich everybody including herself. It was by being all encompassed as a wife and mother that she became a better nurse, a better person, and a better Christian. Her example inspired us in a way that book about self-centered choices never could.
Ms. Rizzuto says that women have a story that needs to be heard. Mrs. R's story was not only heard, but learned and remembered and will be passed down fondly for years to come. Mrs. R. didn't write a book. She lived her life well and completely - and in doing so she became the best version of herself that she could ever be. And unlike the yellow decay of aging book pages, her example, influences and memory will live on. That's how to live a life well. Well done Mrs. R.
Simple Woman
Outside my window...
I am thinking...
about the life of a wonderful woman who died last week. She was 100% Irish and Catholic. She passed away on St. Patrick's Day!
I am thankful ...
that I had the opportunity to meet this lady and to be friends with her daughter for the past 15 years. I am also grateful for my little girl, who always thinks that she can make my tears disappear with a big hug and a kiss.
From the learning rooms...
Helping Sam study for the CLEP test in General Science. We are really concentrating on biology which seems to be a huge chunk of it. Then earth science by the end of next week. To complicate matters, Sam is now working part-time as a pizza delivery man. But I think it is good for him to have to balance study with work. It will toughen him up a lot.
Gabe and I have been working painstakingly on his pre-algebra! The kids and I have also been watching the PBS Civil War
on DVD and reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. 
Izzy and Rosie and I are reading Little House in the Big Woods.
From the kitchen...
Sweet and sour chicken with rice
I am wearing...
Black pants, T-shirt and vest.
I am remembering:
Mama- always
I am creating...
some flash cards and worksheets for math tomorrow and planning what I want to go over wtih Sam tomorrow in CLEP prep
I am going...
continue with Kari Anderson's Fitness Formula and The FIRM's Complete Aerobics with Weights, being very careful to use a low step. FYI the cost for my knee x-rays was over $700! Waiting to see what the insurance will allow.
I am reading...
The Story of a Life
for lent.I am hoping...
to follow my lenten plans more closely.
But my plans for lent include
- Daily mass at least one more per week but hope for two.
- Bible reading
- Extra spiritual reading.
- Stricter adherence to the Divine office.
- Rosary as a family.
- Stations of the cross on Friday at Church.
I am hearing...
the buzz in my ears and the humm of my computer
Around the house...
A picture I am sharing:
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