Trivia Night

We had a birthday boy at the table, and the kind sister-in-law Theresa brought a cake for him.

We're Kathleen's sisters. Can anybody tell? Just ask us. We'll let the whole room know.

Trivia Night Judges....a tough job, but somebody has to do it! Good job, judges!

"Welcome, thanks for supporting us, have fun, here are a few rules of play, and thanks to our mother for teaching her children how to take care of kids."

Sarah decided to scare/intimidate the competition with her Harvard shirt :o)

The birthday boy in his party hat.

A full house of supporters.

The Eilerings got "the night out on the town" silent auction package.

We look like lovebirds, don't we!

We had a great night.

Our team.

More lovebirds. Rick was a great helper-hubby last night, manning the food sales area.

I enjoyed the fund-raiser trivia night in Springfield Friday night. Proceeds went to the Youth Service Bureau my sister Kathy runs. Had lots of laughs, knew a few answers, and got some great new toys for the youngest grandkids in the silent auction. Mario, John, Carolyn, Theresa, her friend Ginny, Sarah, and I were a decent team, finishing in the middle, score-wise. Paige helped out by being a judge with some of Kathy's workers. There were a few quite serious trivia experts there, but as for us, we were quite serious in our efforts, but best at just having a good time. It was John's birthday, and we celebrated well.
This morning we had breakfast with Mom and Sam, Carolyn and John, before returning to Quincy. We are readying for our trip to see Eddie and Connie and family next week, and Mom is feeling good. Lord, keep blessing her with good health.
Carolyn sent Paige and Bailey's dance costumes back with me for the dress-up closet at Carrie's house. Hannah and friends will love these outfits. :o) Carrie came by to pick them up, along with a platter full of home-made goodies from last night's festivities and John's birthday cake. I understand the Dede kids were calling John to sing Happy Birthday to him while they ate his birthday cake. As for me....I slept most of the afternoon!

Good news....our friend Jan Faler made it through the surgery to put in the defibrillator. Now we continue to pray there are no problems with blood clots while they restore her blood thinner to its correct level. We love you Jan. Lord, please keep blessing her too.

Stormy Weather

Tonight has been a stormy night in Quincy. The ominous sky opened up with a downpour in the early evening; actually we had rain all day off and on. I believe this is good for farmers and growers of living things. So I don't complain. Just glad it is not freezing, although I think the cold is coming at us again tomorrow.

I am pleased with the next three Idol choices. I was hoping for Man in the Mirror, and he made it, heartstring-tugger that he is. The 16-yr. old is going to be a contender, especially after they work with her in the next few days. What a voice. And Adam is a performer. Can't help but enjoy how much he enjoys being an entertainer.

Cora had a role in the Baldwin drama club's production of "Alice in Wonderland." She got to sing and dance in some numbers and had a good time. They are doing 5 performances, so plenty of acting for everyone. I hope to see it tomorrow, as I was down tonight after a 1 1/2 hour acupuncture session today. Front and back sides, very relaxing, but tires me out. I will sleep very well tonight I think. I will have one more session in April and be done for awhile.

A highlight of my week was a web cam visit with Makenna, Chris and Maria last night. I mention Mak first because she was the star of the web cam. I think I can say that she was enjoying performing for us! Maybe even showing off a bit! She has several little tricks, and she did them all, including taking some steps. I am looking forward to seeing her in early April out there, and they are making a quick trip to St. Louis for Easter.

I enjoyed Ash Wednesday Mass at QND with Mario yesterday. Some of the students performed a wonderful, meaningful little play before mass, getting everyone in the right frame of mind for Lent. Prayer, alms-giving, and fasting. The Big Three. I'm not so good at fasting.

Bailey's Prom Dress arrives early....

The Eighth Avenue Villager in Quincy ordered Bailey's dress, and it arrived yesterday. How fun for me to get in on this! Justine came too. The dress is a perfect fit, and all are delighted with it. :o)

An Enjoyable Weekend

Saturday was a cold, windy day here. We did go out to QND boys' basketball senior night. They won an exciting game against Jacksonville. Today began with mass, then to Wendy's for lunch with Carrie's family. Blake had an indoor soccer game after that. Mario then went to school to get some work done, and I slept for a couple of hours. This evening, we had Ray and Judy and Alan for supper. Lots of storytelling time, and the guys wolfed down the tortellini. I found a new cake that is superb: at Walmart, it is the chocolate cake with the Belgian chocolate icing for $10. If you want a nice cake for a special occasion, I recommend this one! Looking forward to our Monday run to McDonal's with Nolan, Taylor, Carter, and Katie. Then tomorrow evening our 2nd session of "Why Catholic" begins. I have everything ready--worked on it yesterday. Looking forward to seeing the "Why Catholic" friends again.

Nolan Visits Preschool

Mr. Nolan, Mommy and Daddy, went to Blessed Sacrament Preschool Open House Thursday night. We are looking forward with anticipation to how Nolan will take to preschool. While I don't think he fully fits the description for the strong-willed child, he is close, and preschool may be just what the little dude needs. He has his own ideas on many things, and it will be fun to see how a preschool teacher will get him to go with the flow. On Thursday night, he didn't interact with the other kids, but he did sit right next to the pretty 21-yr. old assistant to make his little art project. He also played with the kitchen set. The principal met him right at the start of the evening and invited him to take off his coat and hang it on the hook. He refused, saying he liked wearing his coat, and she went with it. Then he told her exactly how he likes his coat zipped and the top flap velcroed closed. "O, we are going to have fun with you around here," she said. "You will end up being one of our best students!" Not sure what she meant by that, but she was smiling. Looks like he is in the right setting for preschool for next fall, and I look forward to providing transportation home each day, so I will get some first-hand reports of preschool events. I also did this with Blake and Hannah and had a great time listening to their stories.

Thursday and Friday I mostly got my house clean, as Mario and I are having company Sunday evening. Ray and Judy and our buddy Alan Knepler from Chicago will be here for MB's tortellini. It is good to have houseguests every now and then so you can give your house a thorough cleaning. I am so slow, it takes me three days to get everything done. Bathrooms and kitchen tomorrow. Then Sunday will just be devoted to cooking. Alan is retiring from teaching at the end of this year and is looking for housing in Quincy by the Spring Lake golf course. Judy has been helping him find houses to look at, and they may have found just the right one. We'll see after Sunday.

Mario ran a retreat for 50 QND juniors Friday. He says it went very well, and the kids responded well to his plans. There were a few other staff members who helped him, but he was the designer and planner of all the activities. He likes this work, and the kids are always hoping to be in his group.

Weekend plans include Mexican Maya dinner and a QND game against J'Ville Saturday evening with Tim and Justine. Then company for dinner Sunday evening. All nice folks to be spending time with over the next couple of days.

Idolmania Begins....

I am happy with the first 3 picks for the top 12 in American Idol's 8th season. Although nobody I talked to today expected Michael to be one of the top 3 from last night's show, I do remember his audition and Hollywood performances. I called him the "oilman" and was impressed with him early on. While his song last night was not so great, he is genuine and shows his gratitude, and I like that. So we are off and running with 3 good choices.

I went to Bible Study this morning, and the bottom line of Revelation seems to be stick with Jesus and you'll be ok. All the anticipation and some expressed anxiety about studying this book have been interesting, but the story is really pretty simple if you view it with a child's mind: The Lamb beats the awful beast. That's the simple conclusion of the Book of Revelation, although our study is not quite there yet. In the process of the study this year, I have made a lot of connections in the Old Testament. John, the author of Revelation, says, "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it." (1:3) It has been a true blessing to study this book. I am already wondering what we are going to study next year.

Today I stopped by the fitness room at the hospital for about 30 minutes of riding the low rider bike and exercise with light weights. I need to get back to a regular schedule of doing that; it makes me feel so much stronger.

Had some fun tonight helping Blake with his English homework....he has to make a presentation on Allegory tomorrow. So I told him the Aesop's Fable, "The Hare and the Tortoise;" he and Carrie were familiar with it. We had some good discussion about not being too cocky and keeping your eyes on your goal and confidently plodding along. It was a good discussion we had. I liked that he called me, although I am sure that Tony OR Carrie could have given him what he needed. Just makes a grandma feel good. :o)

Today I got the written report of my bloodwork study from my last visit to the oncologist. For some reason, passing the 1 1/2 year mark free and clear is significant to me. At my first appointment with Dr. Ali in September of '07, he was very clear in explaining to Mario and me that the pathology report revealed my cancer was not a typical breast cancer, and the fact that it was in two places to boot, made it likely that it was in other places in clusters of cells already. That is why I had both the aggressive chemo and the radiation treatments. Well, I feel very blessed to have another good report. No signs of cancer cells in my blood. YES! I am celebrating tonight.

Retreat Reunion, McDonald's

QND students at our house Sunday night for pizza and card tricks and games

Playing with beanie babies

Blake and his friend Conner

Making pretty things at Grandma's art center

Ready....set.....

Almost Airborn!

Airborn!

Katie, Nolan, Carter, and Seth at McDonald's

We had fun Sunday evening when some of Mario's group from the QND retreat and their friends came for pizza. Today I went with Carrie, her gang, and the daycare kids to McDonald's for lunch. Judy and Ray and Katie joined us. Mario came too. It was a zoo, the kind the kids love. We had our own little corner of the world there, and everyone seemed to have fun on their day off. Needless to say, the Playplace was full.

A highlight of the day for me was a webcam visit from Chris and Makenna early this morning. She performed all her little tricks, rode her riding toy, and smiled a lot, but she didn't take any steps by herself for us. Chris tried with her, but each time she just plopped on her behind. Hopefully next time! He said she can take 6 or 7 steps now. It was a great way to start the day.

Thursday with My New Pal Justine

Well I knew when Carolyn's friend Justine moved to Quincy it would be a big gain for me. We have done a few things together, and along with Mario and her husband Tim, we have taken in a QND basketball evening, Mexican chow, and of course the karioke party. Today we had lunch at Panera and went thrift shop shopping. We stopped first at Designer's Again where we both found markdowned markdowns that fit and were just the right size and color. Then we went down to 4th and York and found jackets for a buck and a quarter. I think Justine's was two bucks. Perfect fit, great color. Like new. Fun! Then she tried on a skirt that had the cutest back side to it. I don't know if she wants anybody looking at her backside, but they will when she wears her boots and this skirt! So cute. Very cheap. We just couldn't believe our lucky day. (Sometimes it doesn't take much to give me a thrill!)

Heading to the couch for Grey's and The Practice. Will catch a little news in between. It was a big day in the Land of Lincoln. Cora was on television reading The Gettysburg Address; I think that was some kind of school-wide activity. She was wearing her cute loop earrings and looked very focused. I will have to ask her about it. I memorized it in school somewhere along the way and was surprised that I could recall most of it when I tried to recite it to myself. Like the intro to the Constitution. I made all my social studies students learn it, and I will never forget that one.

Working for Youth

Here is something to think about for all of us who take care of children in one way or another...

St. John Bosco, the Apostle to Youth, wrote this:

Courage. Let us work whole-heartedly for youth. Let us do all we can for God's glory and the welfare of souls. Up there a great reward awaits us, the same as promised to Abraham: "I will make your reward exceedingly great." (Genesis 15:1) At times we may feel tired, exhausted, or overwhelmed by ailments, but we must take heart, because up there we shall rest forever.

There is some encouragement for us all in those words, most especially for those who form and shape the lives of children. Thanks to Fr. Daren for sharing this message with me, so I may share it with you.

Today my pastor from St. Peter's called. He said he'd been told that I am a talented "wordsmith." Well, that is a new word to me. I didn't ask exactly what that meant or who told him that, but I figured out that he knows I like to write and am somewhat decent at it. So I have my next project for my church. I will be writing a grant for a new computer lab for St. Peter's School. I have never written a grant, or even taken a class on grant-writing. But as Fr. John explained it to me...."it's like writing the gospels...know who your audience is, tell them about our values, and identify how they can help us fulfill our mission." Well I have thought a lot about that this afternoon. I will get the materials soon, and I am hopeful that I am up to the task. I know there are some successful grant-writers in the family already, so I may be calling upon them for their expertise!

Today has been a cold, windy, rainy winter day. But it was made beautiful for me when, after Bible Study, my buddy Norma gave me a gift. It was wrapped in an old shoebox with bright red paper and the word "Celebrate" all over it. It is a homemade fleece blanket with angels covering both sides. One is a guardian angel protecting two small children as they make their way. The other is carrying a US flag and is in protector mode. The blanket is fringed around the outside, and that work was done by Norma's daughter Theresa. WOW! What did I do to deserve such a gift? Well, Norma sat next to me in the post-prayer session and simply thanked me for being her friend.

It has always been easy to love Norma. I will treasure this gift as I rest and am warmed by it in more ways than one.

Tuesday thoughts

Mostly today was a day of rest for me. I have a nagging sore throat and stuffy nose. So I stayed put on the couch. I watched some TV and read Oprah's January issue, and I have begun reading "Edgar Sawtelle." I also finished the Bible study lesson for tomorrow. I like this scripture from Phil. 4: 6-8:

Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ. In conclusion, fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, and honorable.

Yesterday I made a trip to the thrift shop with some spring capris that I can't wear. I have cleared a few major bucks and fortunately have found some very nice clothes to buy there. Whatever doesn't sell within a 3-month period is donated to the women's shelter, so I know some of my clothes are passed on to needy women.

I had a great time with Nolan at McDonald's yesterday. He brought his little buddy Taylor along, and he had about two hours of great fun and was all smiles. When it was time to go, the little dude slipped right through my hands and headed back up the playplace slide/tunnel. He got up to the bubble area where I could see him, and he just stood there laughing at me. Justine was there too, and the two of us together were totally unsuccessful in coaxing him and his little friend to come down. I called Carrie, and she told me to tell him that I was leaving to go back to see Mommy. Well that was all it took. Down the slide he came, Taylor right behind him, and they both got their shoes on and were ready to go. I will have to remember that for the future. Going to see Mommy. That did the trick. He later told Carrie he was just playing a trick on Grandma, and that Grandma was laughing too. Well we do have fun. :o)

A Nolan Story

It's been awhile since I told a Nolan story on the blog....

Saturday was such a beautiful day here. Carrie let Nolan out in the backyard to play. He spent the entire day out there pretty much by himself just happily playing while the girls rode their bikes and set up a painted rock sale with the neighbor girls. (Cora has that entreprenurial (sp?) spirit that just doesn't quit!) Well, anyway, Carrie had to practically drag Nolan in for lunch. Then back outside he went. She noticed he took off his jacket. So she opened the patio door and asked him if he was for sure not cold. "No Mommy, not cold." A little while later, she opened the door again to ask if he was thirsty, or whatever. "No." The next time she opened the door, he was ready for her. "NO MOMMY. I'm not hungry. I'm not cold. I'm not thirsty. I'm not tired. Now SHUT THE DOOR." :o)

And a correction....for Tony's karioke birthday party photos a few posts back....Justine reminded me that Carrie, Justine, and I were singing "Brown-Eyed Girl," not "Mamas....Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." She distinctly remembers the song, because she noted at the time that Carrie and I have brown eyes, but she has blue. Thanks Justine. I want to get it right! :o) The Waylon and Willie song came later, and the Dede gals were helping us sing it.

When music speaks

After watching Jennifer Hudson on the Grammys....I am remembering a quote from Hans Christian Anderson:

"Where words fail, music speaks."

She is letting her music speak.

Mary Stella through surgery OK

Mom just called to tell me that Mary Stella got through her gall bladder removal surgery. It was full of stones. She will feel much better now.

OK Moving on....

As each 3-month check-up approaches with the oncologist, I always have a little anxiety and a little excitement. That happened again on Tuesday, as I met with Dr. Ali, my main cancer man. I can't believe that during my appointment, we talked a lot about how HE needs to exercise! He was telling me that his problem is that he is lazy. WHAT??? This very busy oncologist who takes such wonderful care of so many people sees himself as lazy? Well, I had a good little talk with him about giving up just 20 minutes a day to take a good walk. I am following up with a little note of encouragement. I have noticed he has packed on a few pounds around the middle since I first met him. So I will see if I can help motivate him to take as good care of himself as he takes care of his patients. Now my report is good so far. The cancer-marker bloodwork will be back probably today. That's the biggy that tells if there are any unwelcome cells floating around. The rest of my bloodwork is good. My greatest concern right now is bone density, as I lost over 10% of my bone mass during chemo and radiation, and I was already in that osteopenia category like most of us almost-60 gals. So I will have another scan and maybe have to get on that medicine Sally Field takes. Hopefully not. Are all you gals taking your Calcium plus D every day?

Mario arrived home from the senior retreat Wednesday afternoon, smiling, but looking a little haggard. He needed a shave, and for some reason when he does these things, he comes home with his hair slicked back like a greasy Mexican. He reported that the group had a good retreat and the kids were well-behaved. He expressed the opinion that spiritually, kids get 5 times more benefit from the TEC program we have right here. I am glad to have him back. I don't like being alone, especially at night. But I was a big girl and made it on my own.

Carrie had an appointment with a chiropractor, and whatever adjustment he made has made her feel 100% better. He told her something was out of place, and he put it back, and she instantly felt relief from the pain she's been having since the fall on the steps a week ago. Great news for her! I think she has been able to stop using the pain meds and muscle relaxers too.

I am working at church on a program called "Best Practices for Parishes." It is a program that results from a Paulist long-range study of what the characteristics are of successful parishes. We are doing a self-study, and I am in the Catechesis group. I believe I may possibly end up on the Parish Council as a result of this. It would be a good activity for me. Only problem is the group meets at night. I am usually on the couch by 7 with not much operating capital left in me. So I would have to figure that out. They only meet once a month. I should be able to do that, if I am called to this work. We'll see. I do enjoy it, and my past experience makes it a good fit for me.

We are lucky to get in on refinancing our house at 4 1/2 % next week. It will cost us a little over $1000 to refinance, but John figured out that we will save about $14,000 in interest if we do this. Who would think interest rates would get that low? Amazing.

Tomorrow I meet Judy and Justine for walking and lunch. Friday, my old buddies Suzie Longo and Sharon Mackenzie are meeting me for a belated birthday lunch. On Jan. 17, it was cold as hell, and Suzie didn't feel well, so we postponed. I don't mind. Spreading out one's birthday celebration is fun. We will go to dinner at Mexican Maya Restaurant Saturday evening with George and Betty. So that's what's up with us over the next three days. Nothing on Sunday but Mass and lunch with the kids. Carrie's gang are possibly heading to St. Louis for a fun day at the zoo on Saturday if it is warm like they are forecasting. First trip to the zoo for Nolan. He will love that.

Finally made a reservation for Phoenix. I will go March 31-April 7. I am glad Southwest runs those $99 fares. And now that Chris and Maria live just 10 minutes or so from the airport, the trip is not so hard for me. I have decided that I will not go more than 3 months without seeing them. And now that Makenna is taking steps, I am anxious to see that.

Sadly, my early favorite for American Idol is already booted out. I liked David Osmond. But he apparently didn't have what they wanted. He has MS, so maybe he could not cope with the long days. They didn't show his group audition, so who knows what happened. I still like the oilman Jeremy, and I picked up on another fellow named Adam I think, dark hair, exotic rock-star look, and can sing. The program still baffles me as to what they are looking for. Some they keep that make no sense to me; others obviously talented get the boot. Just don't get it! But I will continue to watch. Something to do and talk about when we're walking. And I guess when the finalists are chosen, we will have another family contest to pick the winners???

Weekend Fun

On Saturday night, "Happy birthday to you...." (Hannah recording the occasion with her new video recorder. O dear, another photographer in the family!)

Yes, he looks like Momma Doris.

Ted (Tony's dad) and the girls' kick line...Tony's mom, sisters, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law. What a performance! It's up to you, New York, New York.

Now Tony's turn in the kick line with Mom and sisters Rhonda and Dee and sister-in-law Jean.

Neighbor Jenny and Cora sing.

Tony and Nolan sing "Beep Beep."

Happy Hannah with her share from the tip cup for serving the soda from behind the bar.

The Dede clan. Heads.

Tails.

Carrie and Tony...(Carrie being a trooper 4 days after taking a bad fall on some steps.)

Happy Birthday Bear for the DJ

Our friend Tim....singing Margueritaville, and getting every word and note right!

Gin, Carrie, and our friend Justine attempting "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." We probably won't try that one again anytime soon. Waylon and Willie made it sound so easy!

Tony and the girls (Carrie, their neighbor Tina, and her sister-in-law?) shine with "Mustang Sally." Take that show on the road.

It was a fun celebration, and we look forward to doing it again sometime.

Now....switching to St. Louis for Super Bowl Sunday....

The guys, most from our Quincy College Days

The gals

Mario's teammates from college soccer days, Bob and Tom Pollihan. They greet him with fake Spanish and make Mario laugh, just like in their playing days when they called him Chili Bean, Taco Bell, and a few other choice names (during the games too!). Bob and Mario worked together washing pots and pans in the cafeteria kitchen after supper while I baked cookies, cakes, and brownies. We have great memories with these folks, and we are happy to be invited to St. Louis for their annual Super Bowl gathering. Lots of great food and conversation. (Too bad Tom didn't remember to get the shrimp and potato salad out of the fridge 'til the game was about over. Next year I will check his fridge!)

Today I am resting with a big smile. Mario is in St. Louis for the next 3 days chaperoning the QND Senior Class Retreat with his friend George McDonnell, who is the QND Religion Department Chairperson. Hmm. Does Notre Dame really know what they are doing sending those two off together with a busload of kids? I will guarantee those kids will have a wonderful retreat. There will be some good laughs. Bless them all.