When God tells you to slow down...

Since we last spoke, things have been a whirlwind in the world of your Catholic Librarian. And, don't get me wrong, it's not like I have it worse than anybody else. Everyone's lives are busy right now. We're all in this together. *hug*

But I've been having a hard time managing it all, both physically and emotionally. In the past week:

(1) Henry started high school, as well as the after school work study program to earn money towards his tuition, which runs every day. Our previous morning/afternoon routines are now in shambles.

(2) Anne started 3rd grade, and was decidedly NOT looking forward to going back. I think she's a little envious of Henry's exciting new situation in his new Catholic high school while she's back in the hum drum world of their K-8 school. I also think that, although she won't admit it, she misses Henry being there, and is lonely. Her class is very small this year, and although that's great for individual attention, I think she's sad about not being around more kids. She has a hang dog face each morning, and I'm a bit worried about this.

(3) My teaching schedule at work is still up in the air, despite it being the second week of the semester, and things are generally a bit chaotic right now with regards to our lesson planning. I'm stressed about it.

(4) My dance competition is in just over two weeks, and I have a pit in my stomach about it. We're also learning a new group choreography that we haven't finished yet, but need to perform with just a few weeks to practice at our next showcase. And now I'm going to be missing class this week due to a last minute restaurant booking. 😬

(5) We're getting our upstairs carpet replaced on Saturday, and the house is in complete disarray in preparation for that, with furniture moved to and fro, painting happening, and carpet being slowly pulled up from the staircase.

(6) I'm undergoing physical therapy for my recurring calf injury, and suddenly have appointments out the wazoo on my calendar intermixed with the teaching that is to come. Whenever that's finally all scheduled that is. 😓

And all week long, I've been battling what I thought were fall seasonal allergies, but I haven't been this sick with allergies in a long, long time: lethargy, congestion (both head and chest), sore throat, fever rash, the entire works. The night before last, I coughed so much I could barely sleep. When the alarm went off for the morning, I was like:

😳

I couldn't do it. I was at that point, I just couldn't do it. My mind was awhirl with my to-do list of approximately 146,783 items, but my body wouldn't let me. I was exhausted, and I physically had no energy to do any of it.

I got up, and helped the kids get ready for school. Got the lunches all set to go. Mike drove Anne to school, and I took Henry. Then I came home, called in sick, climbed back into bed, and dozed off. It's the best thing I could have done.

I had a physical therapy appointment at lunchtime, and I dragged myself to that. But otherwise, I stayed home, in my jammies, and rested up. I would get small bursts of normal feeling energy, but within the hour, my eyes were drooping closed and I'd lay down.

I'm back at work today, and the feelings of being overwhelmed are still very much present. I'm trying to manage them the best I can. But I think that yesterday, God was telling me that I had no choice, I had to rest. There was a lot that needed doing, and I couldn't do any of it. That's really hard for me to accept.

But it's life, you know? I can't always do and control everything. It's part of my personality, but I need to accept that sometimes things are going to be different and I have to accept that. I'm a work in progress on this, to be sure.

How about you? How does God get your attention when He needs to communicate an important message to you? ;-)

When good weeks turn bad...

I'd been having a really good week. And then...well, you know how it is. :0

Monday: I am all aglow from outstanding weekend of dance workshops and performances. My friends came to see me dance, and I feel super confident, happy and floaty. I come to class Monday, and the students who couldn't read the words "My Groups" last week are suddenly rock stars, formulating dreamy research questions and finding solid peer reviewed articles on their topics. I end the day dreaming of choreographing a solo with a vintage Golden Era theme for the winter hafla, and feeling like Super Librarian.

*attaches cape*

Tuesday: I wake up stuffy.

*ominous music cues up in the background*

Classes still go good, and additional classes who struggled last week really shined this week. But I feel worse and worse physically as the day wears on. As well, I had dropped my car off at the mechanic. It was making "a noise" and I was thinking that something was going on with the front brakes. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the bill, but it needed to be done. Well.

😒

It's something else. Something about an arm in the wheel well? Actually, that sounds even WORSE than I intend it to, but needless to say that it's a much more involved fix than the brakes, in both time and expense. The mechanic doesn't even know for sure that he can find the part, because my car is so old.

Don't laugh at her. She's a good old car. :0

So I need to hope that (a) the mechanic finds the part so that he can charge me $1500 to fix this involved and complicated thing, or (b) that he can't find the part and I have to get a new car. Which sounds good, but we really can't afford that right now. So (a) is somehow the better option?

😭

I get home and feel uber cranky. My cold and voice worsen as the night wears on and I go to bed at 8 pm. And did I mention that it's been like 90 freaking degrees here for nearly the past week, and we can't sleep because it's so sticky and uncomfortable? Good Grief.

#IT'SSEPTEMBER! #whattheheck?!

Mike then coughs the entire night and I glare over at his side of the bed, although it is clearly not his fault.


Wednesday: I wake up exhausted after tossing and turning the entire night. I am even stuffier and beginning to cough. There is still no word from the mechanic on the part he's trying to find.

#Grand

I can barely talk during my classes. Oh, and now I'm developing a fever rash.

THIS, my friends, is a good week gone bad. :0 It could be worse, it is true. I'm actually feeling positive overall, just wishing that the suck factor would ease a hair. I'm praying the St. Therese novena, so things can't be all bad, right? ;-)

How is your week going, gentle reader? I hope that it's going better than mine!

Tea Time with Tiffany #...sorry. No voice = no podcast this week!

Indeed. I have seasonal allergies/cold/sinus infection/have no idea/just something nefarious, and my voice is a bit of a disaster. We have:

(a) incessant need to throat clear.
(b) general up and down/crackly situation ongoing.
(c) hacking cough whenever need to speak for any length of time .

None of the above lend themselves to pleasant podcasting for either you or me, I'm afraid. So instead of our usual audio and video time together, this week we'll be sipping a hot beverage over a regular old post.

So, what's going on with me? Well, today, May 18th, is a big day. It's my baby's birthday.

*sob!*

Her birthday is hard for me every year, because she is most likely going to stay my youngest child. Never say never, I suppose, but I'm not thinking that a different course is in God's plan for us. And my memories of the day she was born are so wonderful, it's a little bittersweet and emotional for me each year. She's 6 this year, and just as sassy as ever:

She's a very sweet, good-hearted little girl. Did I mention sassy, though? ;-)

We all went out to dinner with her last night at a restaurant of her choice, and are hosting a family party on Sunday afternoon. She's all aglow about having her name on the announcements at school today, and getting to wear "the birthday crown." :0

So that's big news. Tomorrow is my overnight road trip/workshop with my dance troupe, and I'm super excited about that. Belly Adventure, here we come! :-) I'm certain there will be amusing anecdotes from THIS little escapade. 10 belly dancers. Hours of dancing. Loads of snacks and wine. What could go wrong?

I've also been doing a little brainstorming about ways to spruce up Tea Time following our upcoming 100th episode, and I think I'm onto something. It's nothing radical, your feedback was mostly to keep it as it is, but a few touches to make it more polished. We'll be trying that out together soon!

How is your week going, dear reader? Thank for for voting in the summer book club poll, and keep that feedback coming! I'll talk to you all next week!

Tea Time with Tiffany #77 - Nefarious illnesses & belly dancing into the New Year...

Hi all! I'm happy to be with you again for Tea Time, even if I'm muddling through a week's worth of illnesses to do so...

Today I fill you in on the evil pestilence that has been sweeping through my household, as well as the exciting (albeit nerve wracking) dance gig I have coming up at a restaurant on New Year's Eve.

A sword.
Stairs.
A buffet line with lots of transversing people who may have been drinking.
A somewhat clumsily inclined belly dancer.

What could go wrong?!





**To subscribe to the audio version of Tea Time with Tiffany, just search for it in iTunes or use this link to subscribe via Feedburner in your podcatcher of choice. Intro music is "Tea Ceremony" from PlayonLoop.com

Items mentioned in this episode:

• Blog patron for 2017
• Adventures with Swords who will not balance *glares*

How is your Advent ending? What are your Christmas plans? What is your Christmas Mass timeslot of choice? I would love to hear from you!

Of sick days, dozens of Christmas movies, and crafts gone wild...

TGIF all!

*weak smile*

You'll notice there is no Tea Time this week. That would be because I am on Day 2 of a 2 day sick day spell, and though I am a bit better today (albeit home with a now sick and whiny Anne. Joy, so much joy) I am still SUPER stuffy, and do not want to subject you to my congested voice. Or my neck-wide fever rash in the video. Now that we've had our TMI moment of the morning...

I have lots of fun dancing news to cover in Tea Time, so we'll do that next week. Until then, I thought I would check in briefly from the sick bay. In summary, I have been doing lots of knitting and crocheting while I sit on the couch and watch Christmas movies. ALL the excitement, right there. Besides wrapping gifts and napping, this pretty makes up my life when I'm sick. I adore the Hallmark Channel. 24 hour a day feel-good Christmas movies push all of my happy buttons, especially when I am laid up. Yesterday I watched 3. No shame, no sir. 3 movies and part of a fourth. Plus I set the DVR to record several more. Always good to have those on reserve for couch time! I mean, they're on 24 hours a day, so no worries, ever, but I like to be able to choose my theme and fast forward through the commercials.

*beams*

And now I've discovered Hallmark Channel's adorable cousin, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

*swoons*

I am in love. Christmas movies, PLUS they're promoting some sort of sweet and sleuthy Nancy Drew-looking show that will debut after New Years. I may have to quit my job so that I can just watch full time.

"A Nutcracker Christmas"

"Journey Back to Christmas"

"Operation Christmas"

"The Christmas Pageant"

Coming up with unique titles must be a challenge, and consequently I cannot remember a single one of them, but that little factoid notwithstanding, I am one happy customer.

So, lots of movies it is. And while I watch them, I have been working on Henry's Harry Potter scarf, as well as finishing up a few other handcrafted gifts. Mike was pretty relieved when I finished up the project involving this borrowed visitor to our household:

When craft projects get creepy

But you want hats to be shaped properly. ;-)

Happy finished product about to be mailed to its new home

And the scarf is nearly done, finally. Scarves always seem like they stay the same length (approximately 800 feet long) and not *quite* long enough to wrap the way you want, for at least a month, while you continue to slave away, adding more rows. I think I'm finally on the last 2 color blocks of this one. Mostly because if I go any longer than that I will run out of yarn. So we're almost there! All of the couch/Hallmark movie time has certainly been aiding this cause.

I'm hoping that by Monday Anne and I will both be rash-free and feeling better, and able to go back to our regular routines. And somehow, coming up is the 4th Sunday of Advent, and so next week is the week before Christmas. I don't feel ready (typical), but am trying not to panic. :-)

How is your week ending, dear reader? It would really cheer my sick spirit to hear from you in the comments!

No official Tea Time this week on account of my voice. But let's kibitz in writing!

Hi all! Whatever upper respiratory thing I have going on has weakened my voice to a hoarse whisper, so no audio/video Tea Time this week. I figured I'd spare your poor ears the raspiness that is my current lot in life. I should be back in good vocal form next week!

So for the time being, we can just converse in the written form. Grab your beverage:

I was still a bit hopeful last night that when I woke up my voice may be somewhat better. When I woke this morning, I still felt completely exhausted and run down, and I could hear Mike go into Anne's room to get her up and ready for school:

"NO! I WANT TO SLEEP LONGER!"

Isn't that what every living being thinks upon wake up, adult and child alike? Unless you're a baby. Babies never want to sleep. :0

So I got up as well, and as soon as I tried to talk I knew it was no use. Thank goodness this is a non-teaching week.

All things considered though, I'm in really good spirits, and not feeling terrible physically, it's just this pesky voice issue. And here's a highlight: as Mike was taking the kids to school, I blearily perused my email. I am on the hunt for holiday gifts right now, I always start early in the fall and gradually pick things up so that it isn't a shock to the budget come December. And I had an email from a company I've been hankering to order from for some time, which is Tiny Hands Food Jewelry.

She makes the most adorable, scented (you know I have a weakness for scented things :0) food charms that you wear as a necklace. I've been wanting to get Anne one for months, and have also eyed several for myself. The email this morning let me know that she started a Necklace of the Month Club, and you can participate for however long you like, simply canceling when you want. It's perfect timing for Christmas gifts, so I signed up. :0

And you can too, if you like, right here. Right now it's $15 for the first 50 people to sign up (plus $4 shipping) each month, until you cancel. After the first 50 spaces are used up, it'll go to $19.99, still very reasonable as the necklaces retail singly for $23-$28 apiece. They are handmade, tiny and absolutely precious. The first month's necklace should ship within the next 2 weeks, and will be a cupcake necklace. Perfect for Anne! It will be one of four possible color schemes. The second month will be a cookie, one of four possible flavors. :0 She has the entire year laid out at the link, if you want to check it out. I am STOKED. The cupcake will definitely be one of Anne's Christmas gifts!

So that brightened my morning. Along with the new fox warmer I have warming Coconut Lemon Chiffon scented wax in my office:

Check out those perky ears!

Isn't he the cutest?!

*squeals*

He's my new officemate. ;-) He's my friend and I LOVE HIM.

So I'm in a great mood. How are you doing this rainy October day, dear reader?

What goes on in my house at midnight?

You're hoping this is going to be a post bearing some level of interesting material, right? ;-) Party time?! After all, it *was* a play performance weekend for my adorable Mike.

*fans self*

:0

Be that as it may, unless we have a newborn in the bassinet next to our bed, at midnight we are sleeping 1,000% of the time. Because we are old.

Except this week.

*long suffering sigh*

We are still old, ;-) but our 5 year old has suddenly been having the overnight demands of a new baby. Anne has been very sick with an upper respiratory infection, and while I'm certainly sympathetic, the loss of sleep has definitely been taking a toll on all of us. Mid-week last week, the wakings were because she was feverish and had a terrible sore throat. That lasted into the weekend, and now we've transitioned into the frenetic coughing segment of our current nightmare. Again, I'm very sympathetic, but I do think she has developed a bit of waking habit over the course of the past week, and now just wants company when she is up. Exhibit A:

"MOMMY!"

I stumble in blearily, given that it's 2 am, and the third time I've been up with her that night. The other two consisted of the need for water and more Vicks VapoRub.

"What do you need, Honey?"

"I really like the cupcake leggings you're wearing right now, Mommy. If you find them in my size, would you buy them for me?"

Really? This is the conversation we need to be having right now?

"I guess, yes, Honey. Please go back to sleep, OK?"

"OK Mommy."

*5 minutes elapse*

*door loudly clicks open* *tip toe sounds out in the hallway*

"Anne?! What's wrong?"

"I have to go to the bathroom. So does Oreo."

"Your stuffed penguin?! All right."

*glares!*

Last night we had one legitimate wake up, and then another around 3:30 which Mike tried to field:

"NO DADDY. I WANT MOMMY!"

Flattering? I think she just knows I'm the softer touch.

"Mommy, you just said something to me in my dream. What did you say?!"

Because mind reading is something I excel at in the middle of the night too, apparently.

At any rate, we're all very tired, but we're making it. I have a week off from teaching (which is VERY badly needed), Anne is improving, and I'm looking forward to an INSPIRE post tomorrow! How are YOU doing this late October week, dear reader?

Tea Time with Tiffany #71 - Sore throats & finding the good amongst the bad...

It's another sick day edition of:

Today we talk about little bunnies being under the weather, exhaustion, midlife job crises, and the uplifting nature of novenas during stressful times. Join me!





**To subscribe to the audio version of Tea Time with Tiffany, just search for it in iTunes or use this link to subscribe via Feedburner in your podcatcher of choice. Intro music is "Tea Ceremony" from PlayonLoop.com

Items mentioned in this episode:

• St. Jude Novena
• Upcoming 54 Day Rosary Novena
• CNMC 2013

Let's kibitz. What's going on with you today?!

In times of ailment, it's the simple things that come through...

Hi all! I come to you weakly today, as I've not been feeling well for the past few days. I'm not entirely certain what is ailing me, likely a seasonal bug of some sort. Of course, it doesn't help that there is SNOW AND ICE currently on the ground here in WNY. I know that we live in a colder climate, to be certain, but given that it is April 6th this is a bit over the top, to my mind. *glares* We're hanging in there.

At any rate, I left work early yesterday, as I was feeling far less than 100%. As I walk in the door, I'm greeted by both children, who each try to push the other out of the way to vie for my attention.

"Mommy, I have a surprise for you, since you are sick! Stop it, HENRY!"

"Mom, I got my report card, and I got an 89 in Math. Does that mean I can pick out a cookie cake? Anne, stop stepping on my feet!"

"Mommy, look at the surprise! TA DA!!" *slew of itty bitty cupcake photos shower over my head* It was like a belly dance tip/money shower situation for a group of excited toddlers.

"Oh Honey, how lovely, thank you!"

"Mom, I had my guitar lesson today, and..."

"Mommy, I HAVE SOMETHING ELSE TO SHOW YOU!" She is nothing if not demanding, that Anne.

"Anne, oh my goodness, STOP INTERRUPTING ME!"

Can I just pause here and share a moment of snorting laughter with you parents out there? One thing that I did not know about having children is that when you are in their presence, you will not have a single uninterrupted thought EVER.AGAIN. Thoughts running through my own head, oh how I long for your face!!!! Interruptions. CONSTANT. And so to have Henry, now age 10, react with frustrated horror to the phenomenon of child interrupting just really gave me a giggle. Henry, former Interrupter Champion of the UNIVERSE.

Truly, they both really lifted my spirits yesterday. Mike had to teach, and so I took the the kids to Panera for dinner, and we had a lovely time. Simple Thing That Made Me Happy Yesterday #1.

#2 is the solace I'm finding in my current devotional routine. I'm well into the 54 day rosary novena, and my daily rosary has been balm to my soul. I'm currently praying with a spring-hued Divine Mercy rosary, and it is positively sublime. I also started a prayer journal to keep track of all of my intentions, as well as those of my friends, and the novenas that we're in the process of praying or are in the queue. Yes, we are Catholic Nerds and proud of it. I think our next novena will be for St. Gianna Beretta Molla. If you'd like to join in, we start April 19th!

Simply organizing all of my prayer ideas into one spot, and including those of my friends, has given me such a warm feeling. If you'd ever like to have me include your intentions in my prayers, just write in and let me know! You can leave a comment, or write to me in the email address that is included in the "About Me" tab. :)

That's what is on my heart this morning, and I'm just grateful to be feeling a bit better this morning and like I'm on the upswing. I've also been making SUPER fun summer plans for this blog. Stay tuned!

As well, If you haven't written in about the book club yet, I would still love to hear from you! Just give my latest Tea Time a listen, and let me know your thoughts. A few of you have already, and I'm collecting the ideas and will report in about this tomorrow. ;-)

How are you doing, dear reader? How is the Easter season treating you? Any new novenas you'd like to pray, or intentions you'd like for me to include? Do leave a comment and let me know!

Of well-behaved swords and lack of sleep...

Well hello there, dear reader! I'm not wild about this new schedule yet, as it feels like a long time between Thursday and Tuesday, but it can't be helped. Mondays...

*shudder*

I do have Zumba on Mondays, which is going *splendidly* and delights my whole afternoon. This week, I didn't bump into anybody nor did I get hideously tangled in my own feet by losing track of the combination. I call that a Zumba Win!

But the rest of Mondays? Yeah, no time to blog. So for now, Tuesday through Thursday it is. 

In other news, today is the first day of the Our Lady of Lourdes novena! Head to the link to pray along and get the prayers emailed to you daily. I love it when we pray together!

So, let's see, the weekend. On Friday afternoon I received a call from my ophthalmologist's office that my new reading glasses were in, so I stopped to pick them up. Ta DA!

I like them. And they're not *ah hem* bifocals. I don't like those. And my distance vision isn't poor enough yet for them to make a big difference for me. So, reading glasses it was, and the frames are purple. A match made in heaven.

Friday evening found me back at dance troupe rehearsal, and I felt a lot less rusty this week. We continued our sword choreography, and that too went better this week. Can I even tell you how excited Sword is to be tucked into my trunk each week to accompany me to dance class? He is just pleased as punch. And then he gets a starring role in our choreography, doing lots of dramatic swooping and scooping. Pretty soon we'll get to the balancing part and then he'll *really* get into it. ;-) Right now, we're still working out the logistics of doing a group number with eight women all wielding swords:

"All right, now we all bend inward, swords towards the center...Oh. Brandy's sword is right above my right eyeball, we need to change this part."

:0

Hopefully, by festival season we'll be good to go. No lost limbs or eyeballs.

So then, I get home from dance. I'm all energized and flitting around the house in a good mood. I drink a glass of wine with Mike. Then I hear:

"Mom?" *crying!*

That's not good. I hurry upstairs.The needy party is this one:

Showing off her new Valentine leggings in happier times

Who, when I enter her room, continues to cry, but refuses to tell me what is wrong. Mike and I both work to soothe her for some time. She's had a cold, so I figured it was some discomfort related to that, but it's hard to find a remedy without really knowing what you're dealing with.

Lots of sobbing. So much sobbing. Eventually, we ascertain that her head hurts, and so we administer some ibuprofen. We give her water. Some Vicks on her chest for her cough. Fresh blankets and snuggles. Then we tiptoe back to our room. Ten minutes later:

"Mom?!" *crying!*

*long suffering sigh*

I go back in. More head shaking and crying, zero information parsed out. She simply would not calm down, and so I ended up sleeping in her room. Which means me sleeping on *the floor*, which means every muscle in my body aching the next morning. When you're twenty, you can sleep on floors pretty easily. When you're *delicately clears throat* older than twenty, you cannot.

As if to add insult to injury, in the morning, as I kept my eyes shut and willed sleep that came so rarely over that night, I hear soft whispering start up in the bed above me. An invasion of The Others? Nope, just Anne starting her day. NOW, she wants to talk. I pretend to sleep. Then I feel a not-so-gentle tapping on my shoulder.

"Mom?!"

"How are you feeling, dear?" *bleary*

"I feel great! I slept good! My head doesn't hurt anymore, Mommy!"

Joy. All joy.

She did sleep without interruption the next night, but last night I woke to coughing at around 4:30 am. More water, more Vicks. Ugghhhhh... This winter season of illnesses seems like it will NEVER end. Someone has been coughing in my house for the past six months it seems. Perhaps pestilence is about to sweep through out land next.

All right, how was your weekend? Did you remember your novena prayers today? :-) Tomorrow, I will talk about...hum, I'm not sure. But I'll think of something! And Tea Time on Thursday, I got better at the audio last week, right?! What do you want me to talk about this week? Write in!

Feeling very blessed indeed, in this new year...

Another new year? I feel old. :0 But I also feel SO HAPPY. Welcome back everyone!

*streamers!*

I often find this post (the after-Christmas-staycation, what the heck day is it?! Oh yeah, the day I have to go back to being an adult and stop lounging around the house knitting in my pajamas, post) the most difficult to write of the year. And I think it's because I'm such a spontaneous writer - I like to write stream of consciousness, about whatever is going on with me right at that moment. And now, after not blogging for nearly 2 weeks, too much has happened that I want to tell you all about, and I feel overwhelmed and do not know where to begin. I am easily overwhelmed, have you noticed that about me yet? ;-)

So here I am, looking a little sour faced in my office, because I'd rather be home brewing tea and contemplating which craft project I should pick up next, or maybe I should take a walk with Anne in her wagon? And do I *really* need to get dressed to do either of those activities?! But sadly, here I am in my work clothes trying to look alive. Because my break was AWESOME. Really, really great, I can't remember feeling so content in quite some time.

*blissful sigh*

I was dreading the time coming to an end. And last night, trying to go to sleep before The Wake Up That We All Fear? It wasn't good. The whole family has been sick (except for me, who paid her dues back in November with The Cough That Would Never End, and The Fever Rash That Sent People Fleeing In Terror) and last night poor Mike's cough worsened.

He was being so sweet, doing little things to cheer me up because he knew I was dreading going back to work, but he was COUGHING. I felt bad for him, but every time he erupted in a fit of super loud coughing I couldn't help inwardly cringing. Mike and I are real marital nerds in that we don't like to sleep apart.  The only exceptions are if one of us is traveling without the other, or if one of us is sick and coughing to the degree of potentially disturbing the others' sleep. I was thinking last night was going to qualify for exception #2, but Mike didn't seem to think so, settling into bed beside me sweetly and happily to read. And cough. He didn't seem to pick up on my discreet side eyes every time the noise barrier was breached, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

He fell asleep before I did. I was reading on my Kindle and trying grumpily to get sleepy when he started to snore. And Mike doesn't usually snore. But the congestion had obviously gotten the better of him, because he was snoring LOUD. Obviously, this is not his fault. But thus began a cycle of: (1) Snore. (2) Wake self up by snoring. (3) Get annoyed with self and angrily rustle around in the bed, elbowing pillows every which way. Repeat.

Didn't exactly make for easy sleeping for either of us. ;-) Oh, and did I mention that Anne woke sometime in the middle of the night, inexplicably demanding that a book be read to her? That happened too.

Sooooo, we were all tired this morning. And it's finally cold here, in the teens temperature-wise this morning when we left. Sadness, so much sadness. Have you seen Inside Out? I did, several times over the break. ;-) If you have too, you know what I'm talking about.

All right, so let's do as thorough a review of the holidays as I can remember, which doesn't bode well right from the outset, but we'll do what we can.

We hosted lots of fetes and family over both Christmas and New Years. It was LOVELY. True, I did a bit of tornadoing, but on the whole I kept it to a minimum. It helps that I have a wonderful husband who works so well with me to get things ready and make everyone feel welcome when they're over. It was also nice to not have to go anywhere besides Mass over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Since everything was at our house, we stayed put for the most part.

And Christmas day was BEAUTIFUL. We opened gifts in the morning prior to heading to 11 am Mass. I received many fabulous gifts (I am spoiled, truly) but one of my very favorites is my new orange Fitbit:

Isn't he fabulous?!

What should I name him?! It's very easy to anthropomorphize this thing since it says good morning to me, and congratulates me on achieving my daily step goal by lighting up and vibrating happily. I love it so much that I have become quite obsessed with it. Mike has teasingly threatened to hide it. :0 I'm doing all of these fun daily and weekly challenges with my friends who are on Fitbit and I have become consumed with getting to or near 10,000 steps per day. The kids don't even question it anymore when they see me walking randomly in circles around the kitchen table, trying to get in extra steps. I have to say, I LOVE IT, I really do. Are you on Fitbit and want to connect with me for walking challenges? Leave me a comment and we'll find each other. :)

As for the kids, we focused on crafty things this year, or generally creative things that they can work on for some time. I really tried to get away from the big plastic toy phenomenon (which inevitably, after taking 20 full minutes to extract from the package, drawing blood in the process, break before the end of January) with the exception of Anne's new play kitchen, which she loves:

Notice, also, her new apron. It matches mine. *beams*

My nephews also had a grand time in there playing over the holidays. Henry even had lunch in there with her one day:

Aren't they darling?

And so everybody loved their gifts. We went to Christmas morning Mass which was so spectacular I can't even describe it. The pianist and cantor sang a rendition of "What Child is This" that brought tears to my eyes. I feel especially blessed this Christmas.

The rest of the week we just enjoyed being together and eating leftovers. SO MANY LEFTOVERS. My family is part Italian, we can't help it. We overfeed. It's how we show love. :) I went on lots of walks (Fitbit!), we brewed lots of tea (even the children, I've indoctrinated them well) and the time was generally quite restful and invigorating.

New Years Eve found me knitting and crocheting like a mad woman to finish up the kids' handcrafted gifts prior to the Epiphany, and indeed, I finished that night as we all watched E.T. together. Here are Henry's gingerbread socks:

He's already worn them, he's such a good child.

And Anne's amigurumi cat:

A cat. Right?!

Well...she's cute, but she doesn't *exactly* look like a cat. Both children asked, separately of each other:

"Is that a mouse?!"

She's mouse-like, I suppose. But the important thing is that she is DONE, and Anne loves her, and has named her Mary. Quite fitting that she was born on the vigil of the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. ;-)

Towards the end of my time off, on Epiphany weekend, we took a short pilgrimage to a shrine to Our Lady of Fatima that is about a half hour from our house:

They have a festival of lights each year, which of course, is kept up through the Epiphany. :-) It was beautiful, and I asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima as we move into this new year. Life can be challenging, but above all, it is GOOD.

We have lots of fun stuff coming up, my friends! I have a bunch of ruminating thoughts that I'm hankering to write about (prayer routines for the new year! dance and fitness news!), including the fact that I started reading Raising the Barre over the break, and I can't wait to review it on here! I'll set a date for the discussion likely within the week. My Kindle tells me that I'm about 35% of the way through. I'll also start recording short Tea Time videos again beginning this week. Oh, and amusing crafty news with the Downton Abbey knit- and crochet-alongs starting this week. Let's just say that last night involved a cast-on experience that has left me scarred for life. Details to come!

How is YOUR new year starting out, dear reader? And don't forget to write to me if you have a Fitbit! I demand this. ;-)

Of sour faces & not much sleep on Halloween night...

Annual jack o' lantern. Isn't he scary?! ;-)

Hello all, and happy commemoration of All Souls! I hope that you had a great Halloween and feast of All Saints. Mine was *pretty* good :0 but had it's ups and downs. I definitely want to know how YOURS was, so chime in down in the comments! But what amusement awaited me this particular Halloween? Read on, dear reader.

All right, so Halloween is traditionally a bad weather day around here in WNY. It's rained the past two years, and this year was shaping up to be no exception, with gray skies and wind abounding. Meanwhile, inside our house, a storm cloud was perched firmly over my daughter's head. She was not feeling 100%, with new cold-like symptoms developing, and expressed dissatisfaction with some of her costume details. Every Halloween, right around 6 pm, somebody in our house is crying. Every.single.year. :0

Here's the Catholic Librarian crew, just prior to the festivities beginning:

Anne initially refused to pose for the picture and only Daddy's coaxing made this happen...

We worked our way through Anne's temper, and thankfully the sprinkles had dissipated by time trick-or-treating was upon us. As is our norm, I took the kids out to gather candy while Mike stayed behind to hand out treats. Anne had perked up, and delightedly moved from house to house. Henry, nearly 10 now, has moved on to the "morose" stage of his life. ;-) He was feeling rather mortified, I think, to be trick-or-treating with Anne and I, but it's not like we forced him, he just hadn't booked any other plans. :-) We covered good ground, running into two little girls dressed as Elsa from Frozen, companions to Anne's own Anna costume. One of the moms was just delighted:

"Look. IT'S ANNA!! You two found each other!!"

Very cute.

At any rate, we made our way through our regular route, and then Mommy was very happy to head home with 2 tired, but sugared up, kids in tow, and an empty "water bottle." By the time we got the kids settled and in bed, it was much later than usual. And we were hoping for some relaxing time. ;-) We head upstairs.

Approximately 25 seconds later...

"What's that?! I think it's Anne."

"No it isn't!!"

Denial is always the first reaction I have when children wake up anytime within the 9 pm to 7 am span.

"It is. Let me see if I can soothe her real fast."

*5 very long minutes elapse*

"I don't know what's wrong. She's crying. And she won't talk."

Great.

But I figure, Mommy's Powers sometimes dwarf Daddy's Powers when it comes to night soothings. I head in, feeling confident:

"Anne, what's wrong, Honey?"

*violent shaking of head*

I have another moment of unease when I see that sunny little Anne looks like something straight out of The Exorcist, hair sticking up, eyes wild, thrashing limbs. All offers of water, back rubs, application of Vick's VapoRub, extra pillows and snuggles are resoundly rejected. She won't say what's wrong, nor will she stop wailing. Relaxation time is officially over.

She refuses to stop crying unless I sleep in her room, and let me tell you: Bodies over 25 years of age are NOT meant to sleep on the floor anymore. Every muscle in my body ached the next day. But there I stayed until about 3:30 am. In between being woken to be asked:

"Is it morning time yet?"

"NO dear, let's go back to sleep, OK Muffin?!"

At 3:30 am, Anne started coughing. And coughing and coughing. I knew she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep with it that bad. So she and I headed downstairs for cough drops, fresh water, and to prop up on the couch for some Golden Girls viewing while we waited for the coughing attack to pass. She very happily set up shop at one end of the couch, while I curled up on the other. I own the full Golden Girls collection on DVD, so I popped in a disk and hit "PLAY ALL." Glorious, so glorious, I tell you. Three hours of soothing Golden Girls hilarity followed in the background.

After assuring that Anne had finished her cough drop, she and I propped up on pillows to try and fall asleep. Anne has gotten quite long legged of late, and soon she was stretched out and taking up 95% of the sofa, snoring loudly without a care in the world. I was curled into the fetal position on the other end, dreaming of being able to move my legs. I woke up at 6:30 when Mike came downstairs, my poor legs having moved onto *the coffee table* in an effort to not be twisted like a pretzel any longer.

Anne was still asleep and he took the reigns from there, allowing me to go upstairs to try and sleep for an hour or so. The time change couldn't have come on a better night.

I was undecided as to whether to go to Mass or not given how little sleep I had gotten, but ultimately I ended up going, and I am SO GLAD that I did. As ever, it cheered me right up. After Mass, I spent the afternoon following football and making my mother's patented recipe for chicken soup with meatballs, which proved incredibly soothing. And then I was exhausted and ready for bed well before 9 pm. :)

Hence, there were some fun moments, but my Halloween was a bit tiring this year. How was yours? Do detail in the comments. :)

Let's blearily pray the St. Therese novena together, shall we?

Last night, when I tucked Anne in bed, I had that Knowing Mother Moment, kwim? She had had a sore throat earlier in the day that I attributed to seasonal allergies. She perked up as the day wore on, and had normal energy and appetite levels, but by bedtime was looking worse for the wear. She complained about her nose, and started coughing. Ugh. I gave her a dose of her prescribed allergy medication, had her blow her nose, and got her a cup of water. I got her all soothed and tucked in, but I Knew.

Later, I went upstairs slightly ahead of Mike to prepare for bed, happily listening to a podcast with my earbuds in. When Mike came up 10 minutes later, I could see that he was trying to talk to me, so I took a bud out:

"What's up?"

"Anne's crying."

"She is?"

See? Once again, when you no longer have infants in your house, you totally turn off that Will I Ever Sleep Again?! frenzied mode, and go back to Normal Sleep, Thank You Jesus, mode. I did suspect that we would hear from Anne in the night, but my traumatized mind was still repressing that possibility.

So, we banded together for a soothe session, figuring we could get her cleaned up and comforted and back to sleep in no time. Isn't it funny that even after 10 years of parenting, we are still so naive?

"Sweetheart! We're here, what's wrong?"

*intensified crying*

"Does your head hurt, Honey? Why don't we get a tissue so you can blow your nose."

*dramatic shake of head indicating "NO"*

"How about some more water? It'll soothe your throat."

*More head shakes* Rinse And Repeat.

She refused to talk to us, yet managed to reject every single offer of comfort we suggested. It's a skill, that is.

We did what we could, and left her bedroom. 20 minutes later, we hear crying again. I go in, and we have a repeat of our earlier interaction, complete with dramatic thrashing of blanket. She still wouldn't really let me help her, but I got her to stop crying, and went back to bed. Unsurprisingly (since Anne has *always* had this skill, from the moment she was born), the INSTANT I became completely exhausted and drifted off...

*crying*

*Tiffany assumes a position of denial*

*more crying!*

Sigh.

And I KNEW. When you're up with a newborn all the time, you pretty much can sleep anytime, anywhere, because you're so exhausted. All the time. For like, a YEAR. But when you're not in that mode anymore, you have that one perfect opportunity to fall asleep. Once that passes, it's allllllll over, friends. I was awake, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

I went into Anne's room, and this time she did allow me to help her blow her nose and do other things to make her more comfortable. After that, I went back to bed beside a comfortably sleeping Mike. I didn't have the heart to wake him.

 I read for a bit, hoping to get re-tired, but all to no avail. During the next two hour stretch, one further intervention was required in Anne's room, but then I could tell she fell more deeply asleep, and she was fine for the rest of the night. Me, on the other hand, stayed awake for another hour before finally dozing off, and I really had to force it. Naturally, when 6 am rolled around, I was SOUND ASLEEP, totally incoherent, and could have slept for another five hours, easy.

*nostril flare*

That's just the way it is sometimes. But it was a long night. I suspect now that Anne has a cold and not seasonal allergy symptoms. Lots of snuggling will follow tonight.

So I was pretty bleary-eyed this morning as I got ready for work, but I'm persevering. Today is the first day of the St. Therese novena, and guess what? Pray More Novenas now has the prayers available as a podcast, so for those of you who wanted audio to keep up with the novena prayers themselves, this is a huge yay, right?! Here you are, have at it! Go forth and subscribe! If you'd like audio for St. Therese's chaplet, you can pray along with your host, little old me ;-) over here. Fun, yes?

All right, I need to plug along with my day. Mike and I are attending Henry's school open house tonight, and I have lots to do at work. I'll be talking to you again tomorrow or Thursday!

How are you all? How is the first day of the novena going for you?

"Ow, what is that horrible pain behind my eyeball?": A Catholic Librarian July weekend of traumatizing first swim lessons and last chance Masses...

Well, happy beginning of the week to all of you, and I hope that you are well! I had a really, really nice weekend, if a bit more adventuresome than I was planning. What did that all entail, you reasonably ask? Grab your beverage, let's settle in:

Again, that's not what I'm drinking right now, but it's what I was drinking Saturday evening, and that spills over into a part of the story Sunday morning that gets a little bit embarrassing. :0 But that's what I'm here for, right? Entertainment for you all by my own somewhat ill advised foibles. Let's start back on Friday evening, since that is when all the fun began...

*soundtrack begins playing in the background*

Speaking of which, I wish I had a soundtrack, just like in the movies. It would make the mundane parts of my life seem so much more interesting and dramatic, but I digress. Friday evening I had dance rehearsal, and as expected, things were good-naturedly intense as we ran through our set for this coming weekend's performance, plus shook the dust off a few choreographies that we'll using for the following weekend's festival. Everything went well, but I discovered that executing Isis wing-laden barrel turns when you're nearly 5'7" isn't such a good idea with a drop ceiling looming overhead. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. :0

We have one more rehearsal this coming Friday before the performance Saturday, and it looks like the solos will fit into the set, so I just sent Claire my music. Eek!

I dance best when I don't think about it too deeply beforehand, so let's move on. ;-) Saturday morning I traveled with Anne to our local YMCA for her very first swim lesson. Anne was sporting her new Elsa and Anna bathing suit and was very enthusiastic about getting into the pool. Until we got there, that is.

As I was strapping on her flotation device, I had a bit of a sinking sensation. She had The Face, kwim?

"Mommy, I don't want to go swimming."

"It's going to be OK, Sweetie! It'll be fun! See how the other children are all getting into the water?"

"But I DON'T WANT TO, Mommy."

There was much resistance. There was much coaxing of small bodies into the water. There was much clinging to the side of the pool, eyes wide with terror.

"You're doing great, Sweetie! Try to pay attention to the teacher."

I glance down at my phone to answer a text.

"Mom." Henry is beside me. "Anne started crying."

Ugh.

The instructor swam over to try and convince Anne to make a pass across the shallow end with the kick board. Let's just say that didn't go over very well.

It was a long 30 minutes, and I retrieved her trembling form from the water and quickly engulfed her in a towel.

"Next week will be a little easier, Darling. Let's head to the girls locker room to change."

"NO!"

Who here is surprised?! You're obviously new to this blog. ;-) Welcome!

The changing room situation was offered up to get quite a few souls out of Purgatory, I'm thinking, and by the time I had wrenched her clothes onto her damp body she was declaring that she was never coming back.

Fabulous.

Henry, however, saved the day. When he first suggested the ridiculously priced vending machine I was skeptical, but I will say that Anne immediately stopped crying, and they bonded over choosing what to get. After that, she was fine, and said she would try again next week. I'll take it, and it only cost me $2.

Saturday evening we had a cookout with some friends who live on the next block. They have 4 children, and another couple was there with their son who is Henry's age, so we had a nice little gaggle of children to play together. Anne and their youngest daughter, I swear it, look like twins:

Anne and her doppelganger assessing each other

They hung out together nicely, along with the other girls, and we just made sure we had the right little brunette with us when we left to go home. :) As for the adults, we hung out by the side of the pool munching, chatting and having drinks. That's when I drank the Chardonnay pictured above. And I really didn't drink that much.

*famous last words*

When out having drinks with others, I usually have 1-2 drinks. Saturday evening I had a bit more than 2. OK, nearly 3. :) But it's not like I was drinking out of a glass the size of a fountain, it was a small white wine glass. And I also ate dinner.

Flash forward to Sunday morning, 5:30 am. Hark! Why am I awake?!

Well, it's because my head is THROBBING, that's why. I change positions and hope that that will help. It does not. I kind of cuddle my left temple into my pillow, hoping THAT will help. It does not. See the theme here?

I get up, swallow an ibuprofen, and go back to bed. I toss and turn and accidentally wake Mike up. We both drift back off...

7:30 am. Hark! Why am I awake?! Well, because both children are now up and being noisy. And Mike is getting out of bed. Oh, thanks be to God, my head feels decidedly less bad. Let me get up too...

Oh dear. A distinctive nauseous feeling pervades my being that I have only experienced once before, and vowed would never happen again. Apparently, I don't learn lessons very well. Oh that's right, I already knew that. *sigh*

I laid down again and pondered my fate. I didn't drink *that* much wine, but I wasn't also drinking water or another non-alcoholic beverage, and that was my fatal mistake. Dehydration. It's good that I have this lesson more firmly tucked into the front of my brain, but it wasn't making me any less miserable as I lay there. Mike was downstairs getting breakfast for himself and Henry, not yet realizing my situation. I managed to make my way into Anne's room and get her up. She didn't make things easy and refused all of the outfits I presented, and I was in no condition to wrangle her. I left her to dress herself, and she actually did it. God is merciful.

I laid for about 30 minutes and then was able to go downstairs and have some water and coffee. But by this point it was nearly 9 am and something was becoming alarmingly clear: I still felt awful and was in no condition to take the kids to 10 am Mass. Because I had a hangover.

Mother of the Year, right over here. Don't I get something special from Things Remembered to commemorate this occasion?

It was mild as far as hangovers go, but all the same. Henry was also faring poorly, having a bad sinus issue unfolding, poor kid. I watched TV with the kids as we all took it easy and Mike worked on his lesson plans. I drank my coffee and knit. By about 11 am, I was feeling a lot better. Henry was still looking peaked and stayed home with Mike, but I made myself presentable and took Anne to noon Mass with me. It was lovely, and I felt even more grateful than usual to be there. :)

Later, I worked on a cowl using some new silk yarn that I recently procured from Expression Fiber Arts with the delightfully titled colorway "Twilight Under the Stars":

Isn't it magnificent? A perfect late summer colorway, if you ask me. Aside from the self-inflicted morning situation ;-) Sunday was beautiful. Mass, then meal planning with Mike for the week, then dinner out with the whole family for sandwiches and ice cream, and then a movie with Mike and Henry while I knit. Life is good.

How was YOUR weekend, dear reader? Do tell me all about it. :)

I finally don't look like Death, Pentecost novena update, and a new podcast in my queue!

AHHHHHHH... I'm back at work, and finally feeling like myself again. Which is to say that my hair is brushed AND straightened, and I have actual, real clothes on! As opposed to my sick uniform of yoga pants and old tee shirt, that is. We all slept well last night too, which goes a long way, friends.

I had Anne at the pediatrician yesterday, and do you want to know what he said after he had a look at her? And remember, this is the hacking, vomiting, irritable child of the past 4 days:

"She has seasonal allergies."

"ARE YOU SURE?!"

That would be me, tactfully replying. We had both just been so incredibly miserable it seemed to me that a diagnosis of seasonal allergies would make me feel like a total wuss.

"Yeah, it's the worst I've ever seen it this year. It has to do with the bitter winter we had. The grass and tree pollen all started at the same time, rather than being staggered throughout the spring like usual."

*glares!*

We can blame this bitter winter of 2015 for yet one more indignity to my life. He prescribed some allergy medication for Anne, and I popped a Zyrtec when I got home. And well...

SO MUCH BETTER. I mean, I had the fever rash and everything, I was pretty convinced that I had the Plague. I still got a few throat tickles in the middle of the night:

*Tiffany awakens with a start*

*coughs all over Mike*

...but all in all, it was MUCH better than it's been. Well, for me anyway. ;-) We postponed our family birthday dinner for Anne until we were both feeling better, and that's tonight, so I'm excited!

In the mean time, I've been hard at prayer with the Pentecost novena, which we're on day 6 of:

...and it's been a really nice one so far. How's it going for you? I will talk about this more in my next video post, which I hope to have out tomorrow!

Finally, I wanted to mention a new podcast that I starting subscribing to, as I did a lot of podcast listening during my two days off this week as well. Remember when I wrote back in the fall about how much I loved Serial? Well, I now subscribe to Serial's cousin, Undisclosed. Most of the podcasts I listen to are Catholic, but I like to mix it up with some of the secular persuasion as well. :) I used to listen to This American Life, and that is a *great* podcast, to be sure, but the experience was so varied for me each week. Some weeks I was gripped by the content, others were very good and educational, some were "just ok" for me, and yet others I didn't like at all. And my podcast queue is pretty full, so I just don't have room for something that isn't right on target for me each week. Serial and Undisclosed are different from This American Life in that they are both solely true crime/legal podcasts, and I *always* find those fascinating. If you've never listened to either of these, and would like to start, I would suggest going back and listening to all of the season 1 Serial episodes first, since Undisclosed really assumes that you have done so. I think the content would be very confusing if you haven't. This is my third week of listening, and I'm glad that I picked it up. It's a nice balance to the other podcasts that I listen to. Does anyone else listen to Undisclosed? What do you think of it?

All right, that's it for this Wednesday. I hope to see you all tomorrow in my video post. Talk to you then!

Librarian sick day quarantine: day 2...

Hello all.

*weak smile*

After another difficult night of coughing for both Anne and I (SO MUCH HACKING) I awoke this morning with a miserable sinus headache and feeling like Death Warmed Over. There wasn't really much of a decision to make: I had to stay home from work. I was scheduled on the reference desk today, and I hardly think anybody would appreciate the librarian coughing uncontrollably and blowing her nose for two straight hours. Plus, Anne's cough is still very tight. She's bound for the pediatrician this afternoon and I wanted to be able to take her.

So, here we are. It's unusual for me to use sick days at work, I'm a bit of a martyr about such things. ;-) But it's necessary. I'm feeling a lot better than I did this morning, and I'm hopeful that I'm now on the mend. I do still get that dreaded tickle in my throat, followed by unattractive coughing spasms, but my sinus situation is (Alert: this is the TMI portion of our time together today) clearly draining, so that's good. My rash is also a lot better today, so...

#winning!

I've been doing lots of lounging on the couch watching The Golden Girls, and so my precious husband (who is home with us all day since he's between semesters of teaching) keeps walking into the living room with a cup of tea for me, the strains of "Thank You For Being a Friend" heralding his arrival. He's handling the whole thing pretty well, I'd say. ;-)

I'm resting up for my trip to the doctor with Anne in a few hours, which means I've also been spending lots of quality time with my Kindle. Currently underway is another Amish fiction title:

A mysterious outsider casts a long shadow in Ohio's Amish coutnry. When a stranger and his young son show up on her aunts' doorstep, Rachel Troyer is suspicious. Will she be able to uncover Joe's secrets despite her aunts'--and her own--growing affection for him?

Yay. :) I love this stuff. I'm being very good and reading books that I downloaded ages ago because they were on sale, but have been languishing on my device for months, or even years. I have a few new books in mind that I'd like to download for my trip to Atlanta in a few weeks, and to justify this, I'm trying to get through as many other books before then as I can. My Kindle is indispensable when I fly, it's the perfect distraction. I will grant, I act like I'm taking a trans-Atlantic trip, rather than a barely 2 hour one, but hey, I'm a nervous flyer, ;-)

How are you all doing this week?

Anne's 4th birthday, & "Golden Girls" marathons, because isn't that what everybody does when they're sick?

Hi all! I'm reporting in from the sick wing today, as I'm home from work with a vicious cold. I'll come back to that, as it involves a story, naturally, but I thought I'd start with the happier news of Anne's birthday party this past Saturday. Oh gosh, in fact, it's just after 1 pm here, EDT, and exactly 4 years ago, I was about to deliver precious Anne.

#aw!

Or: #gross! #TooMuchInformationTiffany! depending upon how you look at it, I suppose. But at any rate, we celebrated her miracle of life on Saturday with a family birthday party, complete with Frozen everything. Here we have the birthday girl:

Trying to pretend that she's shy...

...and posing with her birthday balloons:

Looking decidedly *less* shy...

Her ultimate Frozen cake:

Notice the Elsa and Anna plates and napkins in the foreground? My mother would be responsible for those. :0

And the requisite shot of her blowing out the candles:

A lovely time was had by all. Unfortunately, Anne started a light cough on Saturday.

*ominous music cues up*

Overnight on Saturday we had some more coughing to contend with, and I administered a midnight soothe involving application of Vicks Vaporub, fetching of water cup, and reading of "Little House" story. Yesterday, she was definitely not 100%, and we had to contend with quite a few overtired and sickly temper tantrums. I also started to cough, and heading into the overnight Sunday, I was feeling decidedly nervous that we would not get a good night of sleep.

*Tiffany turns her bedside light off and begins to drift to sleep...*

2 minutes elapse...

*Tiffany's throat is seized by horrible, hacking cough*

Needless to say, I was not happy. I tossed and turned a bit, hoping that my throat would soothe. Mike was also being super soothing, trying to help me get comfortable, when IT happened.

*horrible hacking cough emanates from Anne's room*

Between her and me, there was NO WAY I was going to sleep. Mike promised to check on Anne, and I headed downstairs to the guest room, since I knew I would keep him up if I stayed in our room. I hacked down there with my Kindle for a time, and even from all the way downstairs, I could still hear Anne coughing sporadically. Eventually, I gave up. I figured I'd just bring her downstairs with me, and we could watch The Golden Girls while propped up on the couch. I trudged up to her room and opened her door. Hark. What is that smell?

This is that point that all parents ultimately come to, wherein we go into vast detail about some sort of vile body fluid oozing out of our children. Right. In this instance, it would be vomit. I hurried over and quickly discerned that from the chest up, Anne was covered with real mucousy vomit, which must have made it's appearance sometime after Mike had checked on her. I quickly got her up and out of bed, and mopped down. Mike blessedly manifested to strip the bed and begin the fumigation process. I got her all changed while Mike got her room back in order. But I knew she wouldn't be able to sleep right away. That's what The Golden Girls are for.

I adore The Golden Girls. It's my favorite late night TV guilty pleasure from my young adulthood when I could actually stay up past 11 pm,  and whenever I'm up in the middle of the night, I check the Hallmark Channel and it's usually on. Sure enough, Hallmark Channel to the rescue. A Golden Girls marathon, on until well past 1 am, after which time Frazier picks up the slack. Hot damn.

I got her propped up with me and watched no fewer than 4 episodes, all while Anne elbowed me in the ribs and stuck her feet into my vital organs into an attempt to get comfortable. Ah right, *that's* what it feels like to be pregnant again, check. We watched the episode wherein the girls hire a housekeeper named Marguerite, whom they fear has put a curse on them. The one where they are robbed, Rose gets all upset and paranoid, and Blanche says a police officer called her an "oldster." (that one is a personal favorite). Oh, oh, the one where Blanche meets this young stud named Dirk at a Jazzercise class, and then tries to transform herself into looking 30 again when he asks her out?

#bliss

And BY THE WAY. Let me check the calendar...right, it's mid-May. I'll just have you know that The Hallmark Channel is advertising a week long marathon of Christmas movies, to premiere on July 3rd. We've moved Christmas anticipation back to May now? Good gracious.

Eventually, I coaxed Anne back to bed, since the two of us sleeping on the couch thing just wasn't going to end comfortably for either of us. Neither of us was coughing anymore, and I was confident we could get through the night at that point. I re-tucked her in and she went right to sleep. As did I, after a few more tosses and turns for good measure.

The only negative marring this touching scene is that she woke up this morning in a vicious mood and threw a 30 minute screaming tantrum about having to have a bath to wash the vomit out of her hair. Good times, right there. We watched more Golden Girls while I sipped at a full bottle of water to soothe my re-tickly throat (I own the entire series on DVD, so no worries on ever running out of episodes :0) and Mike showed the true nature of unconditional love and sacramental marriage by fixing lunch and sitting down with us to watch the episode wherein the girls are accidentally arrested for prostitution.

"I lost Butter Queen, haven't I suffered enough?!"

He even laughed at appropriate times, ensuring the accumulation of lots of Husbandly Bonus Points.

So, that's my day. :0 As I curled up into the fetal position, attempting to doze off earlier in the morning, I felt Mike approach:

"Oh. You're getting that fever rash on your neck again."

I already had to dance in public with that rash on my neck, haven't I suffered enough?!

So, YEAH, I'm looking a little rough today. Very feverish eyed and rashy, with curly, out-of-control hair. Hence, no video posts until this remedies itself. :0

I'm hoping I'll be well enough to go to work tomorrow, but who knows. How are you faring this Monday, dear reader?

Still sickly, but who can sleep? Hence, lots of knitting and reading going on...

This will be a shorter post today since I feel like a stiff breeze could blow me right over. :) I just have a cold, it's not the end of the world, but MAN is it hanging on. My energy is just depleted, and I feel like all I want to do is curl up in bed. In fact, I did just that yesterday afternoon, which is always the true sign of me feeling poorly. I took the day off yesterday to attend Mass at Henry's school since the bishop was coming, but it ended up turning into a sick day of sorts (though I did attend the Mass, and it was smashing). While Anne napped, I ended up in bed doing that thing that parents do during the day when they are exhausted/sick which resembles sleeping, but is not *actual* sleeping. While I lay there with the covers pulled up over my head, people peek their heads in and out of the bedroom, what sounds like a herd of elephants go up and down the stairs, doors slam, restroom facilities are used without the door being shut (that would be Henry, ironic, isn't it? since he slams every other door), loud arguments break out...ah, Anne is up!

But I did lay down, which should have made me feel better, except it made me feel worse, and I got out of bed cold, somewhat crabby and even more tired than when I got in it. Joy.

But in the mean time, Mike is in final rehearsals for his play, which opens this weekend. Can I just interject how absolutely adorable my husband is in actor mode? I mean, he's cute all the time, but this just heightens his attractive qualities. I've been helping him memorize his lines, so that has been a pleasant interlude in my sickly-ness.

Otherwise, I've been reading a lot to pass the time while I lie around feeling listless. My current read is a light inspirational romance from the Love Inspired line, Hometown Valentine by Lissa Manley. Seasonal and sweet, we have an uncle suddenly left with his infant niece when his sister passes away unexpectedly, and a local woman coming to his aid who is hoping to break out of her small town by scoring a slot on a fashion-centered reality TV show. I'm enjoying it.

And I've been knitting! I finished my Downton Abbey mystery shawl, ta DA!

I love the lace, even though I swore at it while I was knitting it. :0 Since I finished that, I've been working on a gray cardigan, (the drabbest color in the history of the universe, which I'm choosing to call "smoky sunset" in an effort to make it more appealing) and my crocheted forest-themed afghan. So far so good!

How is everyone's Lent going so far?

Bravely battling my cold, & a touching experience at Confession...

Good day to you all. *weak smile* I appear to be in the full throes of this cold, but I'm focusing on the fact that I am super grateful to not have the flu. I'm feeling very run down and stuffy, and my voice is taking on that husky quality that my husband finds very appealing (*snorts*), so I'm hoping to make it thorough my work day unscathed, especially since I had to teach this morning. That went well, but I am DRAGGING. I had to turn my Introvert Who Needs To Act Like An Extrovert Energy Meter over to "Mega Watt!" so that I wouldn't wilt mid-class. It worked, but I'm feeling the aftereffects. Thankfully, my adorable Mike made dinner before he went to teach, so all I have to do is pop it into the oven when I get home. 

But today is Tuesday, which is the day that Confession is held at one of the parishes near our house, the parish affiliated with Henry's school, actually. And when I go to Confession, this is usually the session that I stop in for. At our home parish, Confession is offered on Saturdays and it just rarely works with whatever we have going on that day. Tuesday afternoon I can stop on my way home from work. And it's Lent. So I have confession on my mind.

Thus, I was thinking about the last time I stopped off for Confession, I think it was in December. I really wish my little Confession app kept track of the last date I attended, I don't think it does that?! IT NEEDS TO DO THAT. But I may be doing something wrong, wouldn't be the first time. ;-)

At any rate, I step into the church, dip my fingers into the holy water font, and as I go to cross myself...I see a large line positively *snaking* back from the confessional. And I, in selfish fashion, heave a long suffering sigh. I'm feeling rushy because I want to get home to Mike and the kids and was hoping for no line. But the last time I had tried to go to confession it had been cancelled, and so I really wanted to get in before Advent was over. So I tiptoed my way to the back of the line.

And there I waited. :) I waited so long that I actually started a rosary to use up some of the time. A few people ahead of me was an older man. When he came out of the confessional, hope sprung in my heart because then I was only a few spots away from having it be my turn. He made his way slightly behind where I was standing and knelt in a pew. Suddenly...

I could hear him talking. To God. :) And I hope that he doesn't mind me reproducing this here, but since he is a total stranger to me, and I don't even remember what he looks like, he couldn't possibly be more anonymous, so I think he would be OK with it. :) I wasn't eavesdropping; he was speaking audibly, and what I heard touched me so deeply:

"Lord, I'm trying not to sin. But please take the temptation away, Lord. You know I don't want to sin, but it's so difficult when I'm tempted."

I don't know (thankfully, because that's just between him and God) what exactly he was referring to, but it matters not. It could apply to pretty much anything, and let's just be honest: any one of us could be having this exact same discussion with God about a sin that we struggle with. I was just so moved by the honesty and vulnerability in his approach to prayer.

And thus I felt quite humbled when it was my turn to go into the confessional. Why was I in such a rush?  My focus was all wrong. Indeed, as my Confession experience was wrapping up, the priest reminded me to share my struggles with God and to just "talk to Him sometimes, like you would a friend." I thought of that older man again, and I have kept his example in my heart since that day.

I don't know that I'm going to end up stopping off at Confession again today (feeling pretty run down) but I will one Tuesday prior to Holy Week, for certain. And I'll think about my fellow penitent each time I go.

Have you ever felt particularly moved at Confession? Do share (with however much or little detail you feel comfortable with, of course) in the comments. :)

It's book club day tomorrow! The post won't be out until the afternoon since I'll be home with Anne and I need to blog when she naps. But I'm so excited to talk about this month's book!