tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135405762011-08-21T09:49:51.260-05:00Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.comBlogger8221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-10642631852023442232010-10-16T20:18:00.000-05:002010-10-16T20:18:52.007-05:00

I've moved to my new blog home titled "God, family, baseball." I will be linking my posts there to my Facebook account. I probably won't be updating this blog any more but I will leave the archives up as long as Blogger allows. I guess I need to make sure I won't lose the archives. Anyone know anything about that?? Please, please, please join me at the new place. I've enjoyed making such

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-46373258751761209972010-10-16T18:34:00.002-05:002010-10-16T18:51:44.043-05:00

I'm alive, really I am!! The past two months flew as life at Maple Grove shifted into overdrive. First, I taught high school English for a month with only a few days notice. What fun! The experiences merit a separate blog post, which I'll try to write soon.Next, I served another Walk to Emmaus and it was especially powerful. I've never felt so close and united in spirit with 52 other people.

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-30154102748107991502010-08-11T08:35:00.002-05:002010-08-11T09:22:32.467-05:00

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10842801Last night, the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds battled for first place in the National League Central division. Literally. Before the first batter for the Reds came to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, a 7 minute old-fashioned, bench-clearing brawl ensued. Not too many punches were thrown but tensions were sky high and tempers

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-61043065125125191352010-08-10T08:33:00.003-05:002010-08-10T09:09:01.812-05:00

Please note the crooked pool ladder in the background is one we don't use. It's shoved into an open shed so I don't have to mow around it. Also, don't go shopping for a hat like Terry's. It took several years to break down a straw cowboy hat to this condition!Does your high school yearbook have twenty-five signatures that all say, "stay cool" or was it just me? Funny, I was probably the least

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-86123523663622674552010-08-09T09:44:00.002-05:002010-08-09T09:59:37.866-05:00

Terry's daughter Jennifer was here for a few days last week. She planned the trip around a family reunion on her mother's side. Cassie also came home for two days to see her. Jennifer flew in Wednesday, stopping in Houston and Chicago before flying to an airport an hour from us. It's a long story but let's just say we made two two-hour round trips to the airport and finally got home at 2:00

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-91835205086057566292010-07-29T15:51:00.002-05:002010-07-29T16:31:00.435-05:00

My visit with Lisa, my teenage best friend, went far too quickly and better than I could ever describe. We describe ourselves now as twins separated at age 25 and reunited 25 years later to discover we have made many of the same choices and share more in common than we could have dreamed. We talked non-stop from the time I hit her driveway, grudgingly gave way to sleep around 3:00 a.m. and

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-40128063699939219522010-07-25T21:11:00.002-05:002010-07-25T21:24:51.010-05:00

I'm heading to St. Louis to visit my Dad this week. He turns 89 on Tuesday and I'm so blessed to be celebrating another birthday with him.Thanks to Facebook, I recently got back in touch with my childhood BFF Lisa. We've always traded Christmas cards but it's been at least ten years since we last saw each other. We're giddy as schoolgirls with plans to see each other tomorrow. I doubt we get

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-12687309888041441282010-07-17T09:38:00.002-05:002010-07-17T09:48:19.657-05:00

Since its inception, Maple Grove has been a semi-anonymous blog. I've never used my real name or disclosed our town name. Some of my faithful readers know my full name and have my mailing address, but I have felt fairly secure in my anonymity. It's not that I write stuff I would be ashamed to claim, but I felt more freedom to write honestly about things in my life thinking those who know me in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-50207978845705654352010-07-02T08:34:00.002-05:002010-07-02T09:22:21.379-05:00

While writing this post, I got an email from Luke which included this "quote of the week":"If I say I'm doing well, I'm a proud, self-righteous, arrogant, self-satisfied, priggish Pharisee; if I say I'm doing lousy, I'm a miserable worm with a guilt complex and I need some psychiatry; and if I say I'm sort of fair to midland then I'm dull, wishy-washy, Charlie Brown. So what's the solution? Don't

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-32046722986552088712010-07-01T08:46:00.002-05:002010-07-01T08:59:01.895-05:00

I am not a nice person. Oh, those of you who read this blog, where I can filter what I say and what I write about probably think I'm plenty nice. But really I'm not. I am selfish, petty, awkward, and jealous. I read other blogs with heavy traffic and wonder why I'm not more popular. I read Facebook and wonder why other people seem happier and funnier and more well-liked. In real life, I

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-74694854342933769582010-06-30T07:01:00.002-05:002010-06-30T07:19:26.396-05:00

This video and accompanying comments at The Anchoress are so poignant. The parents of a friend of ours are in the same position. Her mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers almost ten years ago and now resides in a nursing home. She no longer recognizes any of her family and is physically very frail. She is about 70 years old. Her husband is lonely. They live in a very remote area so

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-40410057850736816952010-06-24T07:47:00.003-05:002010-06-24T08:00:50.807-05:00

Once upon a time, a lovely Christian family built a house in the country. They raised their children there, three boys and one girl. The house was surrounded by farmland owned by extended family members so the children played constantly with cousins. There were tents in the backyard, forts in the woods, volleyball nets in the front pasture. Alas, the children grew and the parents felt a call

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-60922346572000479872010-06-23T07:17:00.002-05:002010-06-23T07:45:34.993-05:00

Last night, I was thrilled to find a message from Carol in OR on my Facebook page. Carol, an avid and eclectic reader, stumbled across this book and thought of me. I was so pleased. Then I read the first chapter of the book at Amazon and was amazed. The book is a collection of short essays on Saints who were educators. The first essay was about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. I read about St.

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-67458107153557450362010-06-18T11:02:00.002-05:002010-06-18T12:19:09.095-05:00

June 14, 1996, our family moved to Maple Grove Farm. Luke was 9 and Cassie was 7. Gulp. Terry and I were...younger. We loved the quiet and seclusion of the place yet the nearness to the town where all our activities happened. We yearned for a homesteading life and the first two years we gathered animals (chickens, goats, ponies, cows, pigs, a potbellied pig for a few short days), planted

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-48986354441056671702010-06-16T13:46:00.002-05:002010-06-16T14:11:35.974-05:00

Things are "fast and furious" around here, as Lisa, my high-school best friend, described our lives recently. One of my current joys is a renewed near-daily conversation with Lisa on Facebook. In the past seven years or so our friendship dwindled to exchanging Christmas cards. Now, I remember why Lisa was my BFF. She's smart, funny, and has a wonderful way with words. She makes me smile.I've

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-29021873447776346452010-06-11T09:29:00.002-05:002010-06-11T09:35:27.976-05:00

Duke the wonder-dog and I returned from our fifth straight daily walk. We walk 2.2-3.0 miles each morning, depending on whether I make a loop on the farm-truck path lining the corn fields behind our house or whether I double back. The walk takes between 40 minutes and an hour and it really does feel great. The scenery is SO beautiful. I will take my camera next week so I can show you a bit.

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-67893340759168295672010-06-10T07:38:00.002-05:002010-06-10T08:43:15.934-05:00

Thank you so much to all of you who commented and sent emails regarding this situation. In the weeks since the original post, I came to peace about the whole thing. I applied Allison's ideas about how to pray for my "enemy" and I began to get little reminders of the things I've done in my past to deeply hurt others. One day it hit me hard: I was unwilling to forgive someone who hurt me and my

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-27355621581703743622010-06-08T07:31:00.002-05:002010-06-08T07:50:24.953-05:00

Returning home from my walk with Duke yesterday, I noticed a message on the home line voice mail. Usually it takes me days to realize I have a home line voice mail message, but I'm expecting a call from the lawn mower repair guy so I checked the message quickly. This was the message:Emma, this is Mary. I wanted to let you know that Bill passed away last night in case you haven't heard. I'll

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-47256431299574325202010-06-04T10:07:00.002-05:002010-06-04T10:29:52.168-05:00

It's been a busy yet relaxing week around here. Busy in that I've been working outside and inside and trying to catch up on things I let go during the school year. Relaxing in that I'm doing it all at my pace and I have no real deadlines. Ahhhh. I got the rest of the garden planted Tuesday. Lots of tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), zucchini, yellow summer squash, cilantro, sweet basil,

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-68350004993341064932010-05-31T09:57:00.002-05:002010-05-31T10:58:03.574-05:00

Frank at YIMC asked for commenters to post prayers for those who died in service of our country. I posted a brief comment about Eddie Berg, a man I never knew.Eddie Berg was from New Jersey. His family owned a dry cleaners and Eddie wanted to return to the New York/New Jersey area after the war. He wanted to go to college and become a stock broker. I know these things about him from stories

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-87703962497850512302010-05-27T07:48:00.000-05:002010-05-26T07:57:36.106-05:00

We watched Lost faithfully for the first two seasons. We didn't have satellite TV in those ancient days so a family member taped each episode for us. We'd wait with baited breath for each new installment. Then, about the third season, the show took so many strange twists and turns and we lost interest. It surprised me to see others still talking about the show as I thought it had ended. We'd

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-90323569288545544702010-05-26T07:37:00.001-05:002010-05-26T07:48:27.642-05:00

In the MLB, traveling teams call the last day in a city "getaway day" as in tomorrow is a getaway day for the Cardinals who play an afternoon game in San Diego and then travel to Chicago for a three game series starting Friday.Today is a getaway day for us. Terry has a one-day seminar in Indianapolis tomorrow and we're going to drive up there tonight. I get to see Cassie tomorrow while he is in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-7893715328122063512010-05-25T08:03:00.003-05:002010-05-26T07:19:18.590-05:00

Sunday we celebrated Pentecost and in his homily the visiting priest talked a bit about speaking in tongues. He mentioned his mother who has Alzheimer's and carries on conversations with fellow patients at their care facility. Family members cannot understand these conversations but the patients seem to communicate perfectly well with one another, speaking and responding with appropriate

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-64672245335946441402010-05-24T19:24:00.001-05:002010-05-24T19:41:39.500-05:00

I decided to work on setting up the "Easy Set" pool today. We left it up over the winter and it was full of leaves and foul-smelling water. While working away in the hot sun (I seem to choose the hottest days of the year to work on the pool), I thought of blog posts to write. One of them which I cannot remember now had something to do with my paranoia and my Dad. All I remember about it is

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-89861962489492333182010-05-20T06:43:00.002-05:002010-05-20T06:48:24.543-05:00

If you leave home for ten days in May when you return it will rain for eight days straight.On the ninth day, when you finally get a chance to mow, you will break a belt on the mower when you have 3/4 of the yard mowed.You will then have to wait nine more days for the first available repair appointment.You will be so upset over the broken belt you will forget to change from your mowing shoes to

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-40496849424456116022010-05-18T21:23:00.001-05:002010-05-19T06:31:09.082-05:00

What's your oldest favorite recipe? Mine is Hawaiian Pork which I made for dinner last night. The recipe is written on an old, soy-sauce stained index card in my 30-year old recipe box where only the oldest recipes reside. I can't remember where I originally got the recipe but I think maybe it was from the long-defunct St. Louis Globe-Democrat, the daily morning newspaper we took at home in my

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-49790407332166320942010-05-18T20:17:00.002-05:002010-05-18T20:36:44.364-05:00

One of the most tangible moments in mass for me is right before the Eucharist is served, when the congregation passes a sign of peace and the altar servers approach the altar. The servers also pass a sign of peace with every server and with the priest. For me, this is a visible symbol that no one is taking the Eucharist while holding a grudge against a fellow Christian.Long-time Maple Grove

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-20168029876600237952010-05-18T11:54:00.003-05:002010-05-18T12:39:59.515-05:00

When we arrived home last week after being away for ten days, a new sign was posted on our road. Terry and I both groaned and then looked at each other laughing. Why did we care if the bridge, located past our house, was out? Heck, it would be great for us for traffic on the road to be limited.We live one-half mile from an Illinois state highway. Our unpaved road runs from the highway about

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-68931982720173732592010-05-18T08:02:00.000-05:002010-05-18T08:02:00.339-05:00

Reading Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death several years ago changed my perspective on "news" forever. Postman posits we have a distorted view of the world because of the 24-hour news cycle. When we hear news reports from far-off lands, with the urgency of "breaking news", it tends to jar us and cause us to believe this news affects us in some way. In reality, our daily lives are rarely

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-41384306995172091282010-05-17T07:39:00.002-05:002010-05-17T08:00:37.219-05:00

The sound you hear is the long sigh of relief. I finished my second semester of teacher-certification courses on Saturday. There are two weeks of school left here and I doubt I will get more than a day or two of substitute teaching calls. My oldest child graduated from college on May 8. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.Of course, into every life a little rain must fall. Or a lot of rain. We returned home a

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-8387241219589810862010-05-04T07:24:00.002-05:002010-05-04T07:46:05.680-05:00

Photo taken in Florida in March, but the same conditions apply this week, except it has been sunnier. Apologies to Anne Lamott for cribbing her title. (Actually, I loved the title of her book when I first heard it because we attended a church at the time where prayer requests were often made for "traveling mercies", so Anne doesn't have a corner on that term!)We are in Florida this week. Terry

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-9755928146691737352010-04-15T20:58:00.002-05:002010-04-15T21:14:40.521-05:00

Today I spent fifteen minutes in a room full of women I did not know. We were all dressed in white terry cloth robes. Spa day? Nope. Second guess?Yes. I got a mammogram today. A follow-up mammogram because six months ago my routine checkup showed a shadow. A second mammogram at that time showed "dense tissue". The radiologist wasn't concerned enough to order an ultrasound or biopsy but

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-20247507943790124482010-04-12T07:22:00.002-05:002010-04-12T07:53:06.444-05:00

Full disclosure: This post is about baseball but I couldn't put that in the title because some of you (gasp!) would have skipped reading it. The post is really about why baseball has such emotional impact in my life. It's not really about baseball. Give it one paragraph, ok?Today is Opening Day in St. Louis, the first home game of the season. Reading this article in the St. Louis Post this

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-70804319710439021832010-04-08T06:23:00.003-05:002010-04-08T06:35:53.921-05:00

I'm going to let Lucas speak for himself about his reception into the Catholic Church last Saturday. With permission, this is a reprint of an email he sent to friends and family:Dear friends,As I slowly emerge from the catacombs into the "real world" and its more tinctured light, the experiences of Holy Week seem even more otherworldly than before. The Great Vigil of Easter was surreal enough on

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-55461455236114596212010-04-06T07:00:00.001-05:002010-04-06T07:00:05.545-05:00

I'm sorely tempted to start a new Facebook page for a group titled: Support group for those struggling to forgive a pastor who's written a book about forgiveness.Just sayin'Update: I should mention I have forgiven the pastor. "Support group for those who struggled to forgive a pastor who later wrote a book about forgiveness" doesn't have quite the pop, though does it?

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-76181119911874108052010-04-06T06:34:00.000-05:002010-04-02T06:34:54.405-05:00

Seasons change, marked by trees, plants, wind and weatherIn the still of winter, the annual rite of Spring beginsThump, thwump, thumpPitcher throwsCatcher catchesVoices chatter, each day more join the chorusKwaack Ball on bat, hitters swing, tentatively at firstStiff from the long winter's inactivityGames begin, nothing serious, a glorified game of street ballFans migrate south or west and sit in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-86562193087461450502010-04-05T21:05:00.002-05:002010-04-05T21:29:02.336-05:00

Saturday, at Easter Vigil, my son Lucas was received into and confirmed in the Catholic Church. Our family flew to New York on Friday and attended the Vigil mass and other festivities. What a huge blessing!Friday afternoon, Lucas and I went to the Good Friday mass. Saturday morning, we shopped for the party Lucas' friends Kate and John graciously planned for Lucas and two friends who all

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-90965053642488745222010-04-04T07:00:00.002-05:002010-04-04T07:00:03.757-05:00

Lent was lonnngggg this year. 40 days is a lonnngggg time to sacrifice something you enjoy. I have new appreciation for the Lord's 40 days without food or water in the desert.I'll post separately about my Lent experiences this year. In this post I wanted to try to update you quickly on what's been going on at Maple Grove Farm since mid-February.1. My Dad entered a nursing home in St. Louis in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-85125252728645735342010-03-07T09:04:00.002-06:002010-03-07T09:45:58.916-06:00

We interrupt this blog fast to say HAPPY BIRTHDAYto my beautiful, loving, witty, intelligent, sweet, funny, goofy, sun-loving daughter Cassandra. Twenty years ago she was born kicking and screaming. She didn't stop for two hours. Thankfully, that was the biggest fit she ever threw. Her personality from the beginning was serene, calm, laid-back, and composed. Her self-composure astonished me

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-19592987243758734142010-02-21T07:00:00.000-06:002010-02-21T07:00:04.572-06:00

While I'm blog fasting for Lent, I thought I would leave some of my favorite posts to replay.This post was first published on 1/8/2008. One of my earliest attempts to explain my interest in the Catholic Church, it remains one of the best summaries of the journey:Some background on my interest in mass and the Catholic Church might be helpful. I'll talk first about my recent study and save my

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-42345495351860849712010-02-19T06:00:00.000-06:002010-02-19T06:00:07.857-06:00

In 1983, I enrolled in a distance education MBA program in St. Louis. Each course in the program was to be completed in a six week period. We received our syllabus by mail, began the assignments and met for two intensive weekends at the three week and six week marks. Most of the classes required "case studies", following the Harvard MBA case-study method. Some classes required as many as six

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-70372827722546474782010-02-13T10:40:00.002-06:002010-02-13T10:49:57.329-06:00

I don't want to go on at length about this subject cause it's boring, it's sad, and I'm not alone in facing it. Many of the bloggers I read regularly are dealing with this or have dealt with it in the past year. It's a season of life, albeit a very difficult one.My dad must go into a nursing home. I will be in St. Louis next week to help find a suitable home, make the necessary financial

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-84826053053426075912010-02-09T07:57:00.004-06:002010-02-09T08:04:52.131-06:00

Allison, guest blogger at YIMC, posted a beautiful summary of my thoughts on teaching. And when I am teaching, my faith gives me the strength to believe, no matter how damaged my students’ paths have been. All students deserve an opportunity to succeed. My privilege and my duty are to believe in them all. She expands a bit more about that faith:My favorite part of Mass comes after I have

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-51720276946167147082010-02-09T06:00:00.002-06:002010-02-09T07:57:48.092-06:00

Remember Sunday's mass I wrote about here? I didn't know how to put into words how personal the scriptures and homily were to me. For some unknown reason, I felt like God was speaking to me through the prophet Isaiah's words, in a way to prepare me for something ahead. Normally, this would cause me to worry and wonder what it was waiting around the corner. I only had the faintest thought that

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-55257551258051300772010-02-08T06:22:00.002-06:002010-02-08T06:28:14.979-06:00

Midwesterners are just.so.darn.nice. My Colts-fan Facebook friends posted messages like this after last night's disappointing loss:"Disappointed.""What happened, Colts?""Congrats to the Saints and New Orleans. If we couldn't win, I'm glad a team won that had never won before.""The Saints played the better game."My Saints-fan friends posted messages like this:"nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah. Told you

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-22652713255667513502010-02-08T03:54:00.002-06:002010-02-08T04:20:35.496-06:00

Am I the only one noticing how over-the-top the media and entertainment world is? Every awards show tries to top the last with huge musical numbers, special effects, edgy hosts. Likewise major sporting events like the All Star Game and Super Bowl. I found most of the Super Bowl commercials last night a big yawn. I also tired of watching one or two plays of football and then cutting to another

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-54533055883271427002010-02-07T14:24:00.002-06:002010-02-07T15:20:41.541-06:00

I almost didn't go to mass this morning. It's cold out, it's Super Bowl Sunday, we slept late, and I didn't wanna go. To tell the truth, one of the main reasons I finally got up, got dressed and drove to town was that I needed a few things from the grocery store anyway. God blessed my reluctant obedience much more than I deserved. From the opening hymn, "Holy, holy, holy,", to the first

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-379858846081522282010-02-06T08:40:00.002-06:002010-02-06T08:54:41.097-06:00

It's time for Saturday Evening Blog Post over at Elizabeth Esther's. Join the fun by linking your favorite post on your blog for January.I've really enjoyed Elizabeth's blog recently. Her writing is sharp and her insights are fresh and keen. She writes sensitively about growing up in a fundamentalist church led by her grandfather and about the manipulative techniques used by the church (cult?)

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-40481044554827293282010-02-01T07:33:00.003-06:002010-02-02T18:17:11.905-06:00

Today is my 50th birthday. I keep thinking if I say it enough times it will be more real. I've been thinking of myself as 50 for awhile now, getting used to the idea. So why does the actual milestone seem so surreal?Saturday night, my darling husband threw me a surprise birthday party. Well, it was almost a surprise. I innocently intercepted a text message on Terry's phone last week with the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-56747732902711015142010-01-30T13:03:00.002-06:002010-01-30T13:18:17.459-06:00

When I was growing up in the Northwest suburbs of St. Louis, there was a restaurant named Noah's Ark just across the Missouri River in St. Charles. The restaurant was built like an ark and served good food. They had a salad bar and served a delicious clam chowder. I can't remember if the chowder was on the salad bar or if they brought it to the table but I do remember how much I liked the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-26580249458882864522010-01-27T10:11:00.002-06:002010-01-27T11:13:21.727-06:00

I haven't written much about this lately, mostly because not much has changed. I'm still attending mass, on a more regular basis than ever (almost every week). I'm still praying and waiting for circumstances too personal to discuss here to change, to open doors for joining the church. Lucas is in RCIA at a parish in New York. He will be confirmed and join the Catholic Church at Easter. About

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-9805340986397479392010-01-24T18:35:00.003-06:002010-01-24T19:06:29.960-06:00

Texting conversation between my daughter Cassie and me during the Colts vs. Jets Championship game today. Brief background: Cassie's boyfriend Sam is from the Chicago suburbs. He's a Bears fan and still hasn't forgiven the Colts for beating the Bears in the Super Bowl three years ago.I received the first text message late in the 2nd quarter when the Colts were down 17-6. (Note: all spelling

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-3835445693241110042010-01-23T10:32:00.002-06:002010-01-23T11:06:02.527-06:00

For his birthday, Terry's boss gave him the 7-disc documentary "The Blues." We just put the first disc in to watch while enjoying our coffee. One of the opening scenes showed people singing while picking cotton. I said out loud, "My momma picked cotton!"Mom was born in 1921, the oldest of four children. Mom's family lived near her mother's family on a small farm outside Gatewood, Missouri,

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-11048889498371008382010-01-22T17:57:00.002-06:002010-01-22T18:07:38.576-06:00

Until Tuesday, I hadn't substitute taught since before Christmas. I taught all week.Tuesday -- 4th grade for Mrs. D's class, where I've been about six days this yearWednesday -- High school Special Ed at L. High SchoolThursday -- Social Studies at R. High SchoolFriday -- Special Ed at R. High SchoolI love teaching. I enjoy observing teachers and learning from them. At R. High School (and in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-73921442044103381812010-01-18T11:23:00.004-06:002010-01-18T11:52:22.037-06:00

Knitting these days: this hat for Cassie. I knitted another pair of legwarmers for Cassie in this wonderful bamboo/silk blend yarn in ivory. I forgot to take pictures before giving them to her. Well, I was knitting and blocking them the night before we left at 5:15 a.m. to take her back to college, so cut me some slack. Heh heh. The hat is about halfway finished. I knitted in the car on

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-70040615805126915692010-01-17T18:16:00.002-06:002010-01-17T18:24:11.232-06:00

Weekend in Indianapolis.We went to watch the Pacers game, courtesy of tickets from a business associate of Terry's. We sat in the second row, on the court level, so close we could clearly hear the players "dicsussing" a few penalty calls with the refs. It was fun, but the Pacers lost.Of course, the REAL attraction in Indianapolis last night was the playoff game between the Colts and the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-8400500704617042832010-01-15T13:17:00.003-06:002010-01-15T13:45:12.500-06:00

Over Christmas, we watched a lot of movies. Terry loves movies. He goes through our DISH TV schedule each week and sets the DVR to tape movies he recognizes or movies with high ratings. We don't get any of the premium movie channels but there are a lot of good old movies on AMC and TCM. We've seen some interesting ones lately including High Noon and High Society (pure coincidence the two movies

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-25090125068666459162010-01-14T06:55:00.002-06:002010-01-14T07:30:45.562-06:00

Today's list is heavy but I am privileged to bear it to the throne of the Most High:1) Those in Haiti trapped in rubble, those searching and trying to free the trapped, survivors with serious injuries and no anesthesia or pain meds or adequate medical supplies, families of those killed, those with family in Haiti anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones. Lord hear our prayer.2) The family in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-7619295187663742212010-01-13T09:26:00.002-06:002010-01-13T09:29:49.914-06:00

Fat rear ends may be healthy!I was so excited, till I got to the last paragraph."As long as you are female and your hormones are female hormones you are protected from cardiovascular disease," Manolopoulos said. "The moment you go into menopause and your hormones change, you lose your typical female appearance and you gain stomach fat and at the same time your risk for heart disease and diabetes

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-44996899859969835382010-01-11T18:50:00.002-06:002010-01-11T19:19:51.213-06:00

Housekeeping is not my strong suit. I think I've fessed up to that before. Part of the problem is my tune-out-ability. When I'm busy or happily occupied, I tend to focus on the important stuff and ignore the rest. Depending on which member of my household you interview, this ability is a blessing or a curse. Heh heh.Today I felt a rare burst of housecleaning and tackled jobs I only do one in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-65860121508018792262010-01-10T16:51:00.002-06:002010-01-10T17:06:49.100-06:00

-3 on our kitchen thermometer this morning. At mass, the first reading was from Isaiah:Comfort, give comfort to my people,says your God....In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filled in,every mountain and hill shall be made low;the rugged land shall be made a plain,the rough country, a broad valley.Then the glory of

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-47172631350660387152010-01-09T15:44:00.003-06:002010-01-09T16:01:45.680-06:00

We took our kids back to their college lives today: Luke to the airport for a flight back to New York and Cassie to her college. Sigh.Arriving home, I felt a tinge of sadness. Mitigating that feeling, however, was delight at the sunshine on the snow surrounding our home. It's been cloudy and gray here for days so the sunshine cheered my heart.Duke was glad to see us. We let him outside to

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-38574637439052909352010-01-08T08:09:00.002-06:002010-01-08T08:34:37.808-06:00

Do you love it when your adult children prompt you to do things? Before returning to college last fall, Luke urged me to go see Father Bernie. I told him I would do so, some day soon. When Luke returned for Christmas vacation he urged me to go see Father Bernie. I told him I would do so, someday soon.Luke gave me a rosary for Christmas. It's what I requested when he asked for gift ideas. He

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-45213162242958224882010-01-06T21:10:00.002-06:002010-01-06T21:19:07.655-06:00

St. Louis is expecting 4-6 inches of snow tonight. We live about 150 miles east of St. Louis and snow is forecast here as well. My brother Alan, a grocery store manager, mentioned today would be busy at his store because there would be a "snow scare." "Snow scare?""Yes, that is when everyone runs to the store to buy milk and bread because snow is forecast."My stepmom and I ran a couple of

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-79642347136565297162010-01-06T17:23:00.002-06:002010-01-06T17:40:55.192-06:00

Luke, Cassie and I returned from a quick trip to St. Louis for a late Christmas with my family. We enjoyed our visit, especially spending time with my 88-year-old Dad. Every visit, every story Dad tells, every book he reads and every conversation we enjoy is precious. God is good.Baseball alert: those of you (and you know who you are, heh heh) who don't like baseball might want to skip the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-14261501037186960052010-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:002010-01-04T08:46:00.257-06:00

1. In recent reading, I came across this idea (sorry I can't remember where I read it to give it proper attribution):the Church forbids fasting during Christmas and other feast times.2. According to the liturgical calendar, Christmas runs from December 25 to January 6 (Epiphany).3. New Year's is January 1, during the Christmas feasting time.4. Therefore, starting a diet or other form of

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-1149519064863122472010-01-04T06:36:00.000-06:002010-01-04T06:36:00.330-06:00

I joined Facebook about six months ago after a group of Christian women friends told me how much they enjoyed it for keeping up with one another. Without Facebook, I was "out of the loop". I don't use Facebook all that much. I've loaded a few pictures, write status updates every couple of days, and read my newsfeeds or whatever it's called. There are things about the site I enjoy, things that

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-18934352263758076372010-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:002010-01-03T06:00:01.964-06:00

One of the most successful, fun-to-do gifts I gave for Christmas was my first scrapbook. I made one for clippings of Cassie's college newspaper articles. JoAnn's had the scrapbooks and background papers on sale 50% off early in December. I enjoyed searching for the right letters and stickers to add a bit of interest to the pages. Research showed I needed to spray the newsprint with Krylon

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-71196630440169265212010-01-02T06:00:00.002-06:002010-01-02T09:53:04.092-06:00

A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. MillerAlas Babylon by Pat FrankAndy Catlett: Early Travels by Wendell BerryAtlas Shrugged by Ayn RandBorn Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic by David CurieEarth Abides by George R. StewartHannah Coulter by Wendell BerryLove in the Little Things by Mike AquilinaMy Cousin the Saint by Justin CatanosoMy Journey to the World Series by Joe TorreOn the Beach by

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-37908211470969691472010-01-01T14:57:00.003-06:002010-01-13T12:11:33.848-06:00

Every year, Terry and I give small Christmas gifts of appreciation to his office staff. In previous years, I've put together cheesecakes, lasagna, pamper baskets, and popcorn-and-movie baskets. Since we are giving six or seven of these gifts, I try to make something nice that won't break the bank. This year, time and finances limited my creative choices more than usual. I read this recipe on

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-83470075521431956002010-01-01T12:25:00.003-06:002010-01-01T13:34:36.792-06:00

Apologies to Shakespeare for the cheesy title.History of Maple GroveMaple Grove began in July 2005 for several reasons.I spent time each day reading blogs by fellow homeschool moms and often left lengthy comments on favorite topics. It seemed like a good idea to use my own space to write my thoughts.Writing fascinated and terrified me. Blogging forced me to focus and slowly learn about writing

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-2154977269168171522010-01-01T11:57:00.002-06:002010-01-01T12:16:02.753-06:00

Highlights at Maple Grove in 2009:Death of my father-in-law, may he rest in peaceBoth college kids home for the summerTrip to Lake TahoeThanksgiving in New York for the Macy's ParadeEnrollment in Transition to Teaching programGardening for the first time in five yearsBaseball, including Albert Pujols grand slam in Cincinnati and watching Matt Holliday's first at-bat in St. LouisContinuing

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-32948023458744328672009-12-19T19:56:00.002-06:002009-12-19T20:09:00.511-06:00

For those stuck in the East Coast Blizzard of 2009, a little blizzard story from our family lexicon.In 1978, southern Indiana was struck with a blizzard folks around here still recall. My inlaws owned a restaurant in a tiny town and lived in an apartment behind it. They didn't plan on serving dinner during the storm since area roads were all closed. However, they awoke each morning, put on a

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-21228044228597508632009-12-19T10:43:00.002-06:002009-12-19T11:02:36.497-06:00

My brother Gary brought home this recipe over 30 years ago. I remember making it a couple of times, deciding it was wayyy too rich and filing the recipe away in my recipe box.Lately, I've seen at least three references to Gooey Butter Cake in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Apparently, the culinary confection is a St. Louis creation and favorite. Who knew?I need to buy a package of cream cheese

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-85479357389090394982009-12-15T07:02:00.002-06:002009-12-15T07:17:53.708-06:00

This Advent season has been wonderful. I am calm, peaceful, not stressed or worried about "getting it all done." I'm almost finished with my first semester of education courses (two more semesters of class, then student teaching to go!). I've made a trip to St. Louis to help my parents with some medical visits. My mother-in-law is now in a nursing home and I hope to visit her today. I

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-16086028923643749902009-12-01T10:37:00.002-06:002009-12-01T11:04:35.854-06:00

What I should be doing: finishing my last college Computer Science assignment, laundry, walking the dog, visiting my mother-in-law in the nursing home.What I am doing instead: thinking about our trip to NYC and remembering this funny Youtube video. I loved WKRP in Cincinnati. Did you? Why do I never see it in re-runs?Speaking of 1970s sitcoms, I helped my team clinch a Trivial Pursuit game

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-1059584051874675912009-12-01T07:38:00.002-06:002009-12-01T08:03:19.385-06:00

All my life, I've watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on television while dinner is being prepared. For the past ten or fifteen years, I've dreamed of one day cooking Thanksgiving dinner in New York while the parade passes by outside my window. This year, the parade route shifted from Broadway to 6th Avenue, where Luke's apartment is located. He invited us to spend Thanksgiving with him in

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-2466995727954834552009-12-01T07:26:00.002-06:002009-12-01T07:37:56.167-06:00

What a week! Driving time: 36 hours. Stuck in traffic time: 4 hours. Time in NYC: 92 hours. Was it worth it? Absolutely!New idea for cooking show on the Food Network. A food competition in which the cooks prepare a holiday feast with the following items: food which can be ordered from Angel Food Ministries, food which can be ordered from Fresh Direct (a New York grocery delivery service),

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-425281733075602352009-11-20T18:41:00.003-06:002009-11-22T19:33:16.327-06:00

The Plan: pick up my daughter Cassie at her college in Indiana and drive 14 hours to NYC to see my son Luke for Thanksgiving weekend. We will stop each way for a night in a hotel along the way because when Cassie and I drove straight through in 2007 we swore "never again!" Terry will be driving and he swore "never again" after he and I drove 24 hours straight from L.A. to Ft. Smith, Arkansas,

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-9531600195765505392009-11-13T21:18:00.002-06:002009-11-13T21:34:35.068-06:00

From a fourth grade reading book, I got to teach this poem Thursday. I'm sure I enjoyed it more than my students. I've never heard this one, have you?I love Carl Sandburg, his Chicago "city of the big shoulders" and "the fog comes on little cat feet." I shared those with my students. Just those lines cause they're all I know.Buffalo DuskThe buffaloes are gone.And those who saw the buffaloes

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-33625593026110442252009-11-12T17:07:00.002-06:002009-11-12T18:03:46.747-06:00

Guess where I'm going for Thanksgiving?Go ahead, guess.Here's a few hints:He will be there.So will she.My wonderful husband is the primary driver for the trip.Our destination doesn't look anything like the land around Maple Grove.We might see this.We might go here.We may eat here.More tomorrow, if you haven't guessed already.Blessings,Sandy

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-63760284517662699892009-11-09T10:10:00.002-06:002009-11-09T10:47:59.491-06:00

We spent an unusually busy weekend here at Maple Grove and loved every minute of it. I've battled a pesky cough all week but didn't let it slow me this weekend.Saturday afternoon, we helped our good friends pack and move. Terry tells an old joke, "there are friends, good friends, and friends you will help move." We are now "moving kind of friends" with John & Abbie. Their 4 year old son

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-11500371375098526312009-11-05T07:48:00.002-06:002009-11-05T08:41:27.252-06:00

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers HornsbyWe watched every game of the World Series, at least the first five or six innings. Congratulations, Yankees fans. Luke was at Yankee stadium when they clinched the pennant against the Angels and really enjoyed the celebration. He sat in the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-35782450580446546182009-11-01T01:00:00.001-05:002009-11-01T01:00:00.989-05:00

Twenty-two years ago, also on a Sunday, my son Lucas was born. Nothing could have prepared me for the cataclysmic change of motherhood. It was wonderful! Luke, I wish you peace and happiness.I wish you wisdom and guidance for your life, so full of promiseI wish you many winning Cardinal baseball seasonsI wish you love, joy, and kindnessI wish you God's richest blessingsThanks for being such a

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-30556544824332495022009-10-31T14:38:00.002-05:002009-10-31T15:43:58.197-05:00

This post by Headmistress at The Common Room set me to thinking about the oldest things I own. Here are the few oldest that came to mind. Note I am not talking about the age of the object, as in antiques I've purchased at auctions, but the age of the object as in how long I've owned it or can trace it directly to a family member.Sears food processor circa 1979. I use it several times a year

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-40837781057160228442009-10-24T11:18:00.002-05:002009-10-24T11:40:51.538-05:00

The West Wing is one of Luke's favorite TV shows. He's watched all the old episodes online. This episode takes place in Indiana. Three of President Bartlet's aides miss the campaign flight and are left behind to catch them at the next stop. This clip is hilarious, especially for those of us who live in and near Indiana.YES, WE CHANGE OUR WATCHES ON OUR COMMUTE!!Heh, heh.I wrote about our time

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-7308043130437826022009-10-21T07:27:00.003-05:002009-10-22T20:10:28.639-05:00

Terry and I watched "The Family Stone" last night on Netflix. The movie is four years old now, but I'll issue a spoiler alert. I thought the movie would be a family-drama/comedy. I love family dramas. In addition, though, the movie had a deeper theme of a mother's role in her family. The movie spans one year in the life of the Stone family. The first year, Sybil Stone, played by Diane

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-74100979766418159532009-10-14T20:23:00.002-05:002009-10-14T20:32:48.863-05:00

Tonight is the first night I've REALLY MISSED baseball. I know the playoffs resume tomorrow and I'll probably watch both the ALCS and the NLCS. It's not the same though, when the Cardinals aren't playing. Having watched and/or listened to roughly 170 baseball games since April 1, it's a bit hard to get used to life without baseball. My college studies take a great deal of time and I'm

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-68035968848559869832009-10-14T07:31:00.004-05:002009-10-14T09:34:24.305-05:00

WE HAVE A NEW DOG!Meet Duke.He's almost a year old and a Goldendoodle, cross between Golden Retriever and Poodle.We started talking about a new dog a couple of months ago. I like the company and protection of a dog when Terry is out of town. Zeno died almost two years ago and we were ready to try again. This time, though, neither Terry nor I felt up to raising a puppy. We began thinking about

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-55080631926742833462009-10-09T06:51:00.002-05:002009-10-09T07:11:44.333-05:00

Good morning, my poor neglected blog and handful of faithful blog readers. (Is two a handful? Heh heh.)Maple Grove life is busy, busy, happy, content, busy, busy.My college courses are requiring so much more time than I expected. The Education courses include a lot of writing and a few special projects I'm still in the planning phases. I've turned in my first assignment in every class except

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-79512833280687736402009-09-28T10:46:00.002-05:002009-09-28T11:09:55.595-05:00

Wow! My college orientation on Friday was amazing. St. Mary of the Woods is a beautiful campus and the professors and staff were all so encouraging and kind. It is obvious they love their work and are passionate about learning. I wasn't the oldest student in the group, either. Heh heh.Trudging away from the bookstore with my bag full of textbooks at the end of the day, the inforamtion of the

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-10163957687763070052009-09-24T08:53:00.002-05:002009-09-24T09:51:46.382-05:00

Tomorrow is orientation day at the college campus where I'll be studying for my teacher's certification. I chose this particular college because the program is all done at home. I will only travel the ninety minutes to campus one day per semester (hopefully three semesters) to meet with my advisor and the professors of all my classes. My certification will be in middle school and high school

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-70910409561222578092009-09-21T10:19:00.003-05:002009-09-21T12:16:41.724-05:00

My sister tells me the last two times she talked to my parents on the phone, our 88-year-old Dad interrupted to ask, "have you got any good news?" It's an inside joke, cause our Dad has never been known as a glass-half-full kinda guy.In honor of Dad's request, and because I DESPERATELY need to look on the bright side:Bet you can't keep from smiling!UPDATE: To clarify, things at Maple Grove are

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-70964089525786878122009-09-21T07:08:00.003-05:002009-09-21T08:29:52.040-05:00

After reading this article, linked to by the Anchoress here, I sat and sobbed for five minutes. I can't explain why. Something about deeply trusting God's goodness and His perfect will for my life moved me. Yesterday at mass, the second reading was James 3:16-4:3. The last few verses echoed the theme from the above article:You do not possess because you do not ask.You ask but do not receive,

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-16488558787030067932009-09-18T11:31:00.003-05:002009-09-18T11:42:14.015-05:00

walking merrily out to pick applescarrying my new bushel basketthe bright blue sky shines above my head andleaves in the trees gently dance while the soft wind blowswonder whether to go back to the house to retrieve an electronic book or listen to nature soundsdeciding on nature sounds whensuddenlysomething rubs against my toelooking down to see what I've tripped overmy eye spies a black,

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-73425104926171060852009-09-18T07:44:00.003-05:002009-09-18T08:41:54.307-05:00

1. I haven't done a 7QTF in months. Perhaps the deadline of the trash truck possibly coming in fifteen minutes will motivate quick, snappy writing. Ha. Our trash truck comes "usually at ten o'clock, but possibly as early as eight o'clock so you should have it out at the road by eight." We're too cheap to buy a dumpster since we have four perfectly usable trash cans, albeit missing lids. We

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-31123494918158179392009-09-16T19:01:00.002-05:002009-09-16T19:28:22.450-05:00

This article made me smile. Don't you love how joyful Barbara Ann Paster seems as she portrays Shiva Shapiro, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jewish immigrant from Russia? The article details a living history museum in Portsmouth and focuses on Shiva Shapiro's preparations for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, circa 1919.

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-16555120632769884862009-09-16T09:15:00.002-05:002009-09-16T09:25:50.659-05:00

Terry's busy for a few days so I'm catching up on a few things at home. My knee is almost fully healed but I'm paying close attention any time it barks or even whimpers. Monday afternoon I dug sweet potatoes in the garden. While I was out there, I hacked down the dead corn stalks. No knee pain!Yesterday, I tore up the old mildewy tub-shower caulk stuff. I bought the kind you can peel and

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-64692130741333792262009-09-16T07:43:00.002-05:002009-09-16T08:12:33.285-05:00

This video link came across my Google Reader feed yesterday. The video shows a fight between students on a school bus in Belleville, Illinois. My brother lives in Belleville, about thirty minutes east of St. Louis.Watching the video, I felt several emotions. Anger at the brutality from one high school age student to another. Anger at the bus driver for not pulling the bus over and stopping

Sandy C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15724518800430532026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13540576.post-22210021857008530242009-09-15T12:20:00.002-05:002009-09-15T12:41:45.028-05:00

Last year I posted a couple times about Wendell Berry's ideas about place and how important physical location is to our sense of community identity. Yesterday, while subbing for a reading teacher and seeing thirty first and second graders five at a time, I had interesting little snippets of conversation while the kids used touch phonics letters to make words.First Grade Girl: Fall Festival (our

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