Cathy's Grace Notes

Celebrating in style!

Last weekend, we celebrated my Mom's 80th birthday. Here are a few pictures.

 

With her oldest grandchild, Angus!

 

Laura - creator of the cake!

Allison decided to take a spin.

Rachael, pretty as she can be!!

 

Mama, celebrating her 80th birthday in style!

Betsy ~Tacy Book Read

I have heard smatterings of the Betsy~Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace, so picked up the one and only book at our local library - Betsy ~ Tacy. It was the first in the series when Betsy and Tacy meet for the first time and they are five years old.

Oh my how times have changed.... mumps? Who gets mumps these days??  I remember getting the mumps - it was a part of childhood until the immunization came to be. That aside, there is an innocence in the book which we don't see today. The lack of "stuff" that bombards us today - tv, radio, electronics, etc. Betsy and Tacy find entertainment in a box that they can call home, or a store, or whatever they want it to be that day.

I remember my Dad working in a furniture store. One of the biggest delights I can remember is when he brought what I remember calling a "big big box" - I am assuming this was a box that sofas were delivered in. I don't remember much of what we did in the box, but it was a treat to be able to play in it.

Betsy and Tacy decide to put sand in jars their mothers provided for them. Getting a nickel back then was quite the thing as you could splurge. 

Not sure how I missed Betsy~Tacy growing up - there were the other series I know of, but this one somehow flew under the radar screen for me. Guess I'll enjoy the innocence of children's literature written by Lovelace today.

Catch up

Came and looked to see how long I have posted and noticed it was April since my last entry. Mercy! Anyway, I am going to see if I can start a little writing again. If you're still with me, please leave a comment. It will encourage me to start writing again.

School has started and the biggest change for the elementary schools here is the fact the school day has extended and extra 50 minutes until 3:30. I am wondering about the little ones if they can really handle this much more of instruction. I also wonder what the research supports in this regard. All I know is it has been an adjustment to say the least.

The summer flew by with professional learning, family vacation, and a vacation with my husband on a cruise. Delightful memories created.

Mom was hospitalized for a week not too long ago. Always a little scary, but she is home and seems to be ok now. We are adjusting to the medication management, as I oversee it to make sure we are all squared away and taking the right medications at the right time! It makes a difference!

View from the Owl Cafe

View from the Owl Cafe, originally uploaded by catnipper.

View from Owl Cafe in Apalachicola - April 10, 2009.

Blessing of Shawls

We blessed blankets for Levi's Hope, an organization for those who have experienced a loss of an infant through miscarriage or stillbirth.

We also blessed a shawl for someone who has had some long term health issues.

Piano - 4 hands

Today my mother and I were driving home from eating out and we were listening to pubic radio. Featured at the time was the music of Dohnanyi, a 20th century composer who was a conductor in Hungary, and became a WWII refuge and ended up in Tallahassee, Florida at Florida State University as a composer in residence until his death.  
 They had a recording of one of his compositions for piano for 4 hands -- and the recording was of him and pianist Edward Kilenyi, who was professor at FSU.   I found the selection of them playing Dohnanyi's composition Valse Boiteuse from his Suite en Valse for Two Pianos. The ONLY connection I have with Kilenyi was he sat in on one of my juries for end of the year assessment. When I was there, he only taught piano majors, and I was a music therapy student.

Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool when I found the recording on Youtube, so I share it with you.

Lift Every Voice

Today we had a school program for Black History Month -- several teachers coordinated on putting this together and did a fine job with involving many children and presenting an educational program together. For the month of February, every day our news program has featured an African American and their importance in history.
I just wish....

we did this for people of every color, regardless of their heritage. When we do this, I believe we will be making a step forward in becoming blind to the color of the skin and become increasingly aware of the talent and importance of every person.  Maybe one day that will happen.

One song sung today was "Lift Every Voice" --- I found this video which was a tribute to President Obama -- but I thought it came close to presenting history a little better balanced, bringing in people of importance of what they did and not only because of the color of their skin.

Ash Wednesday

I'm here

I've been AWOL from the blog -- since Christmas things have been off kilter, from Mom being sick in the hospital, to me with bronchitis, to some stuff that is going on at work that is not bloggable for me, but difficult and I ask your prayers for all involved.

IN addition, I have pondered about going back to Blogger -- I am trying to justify paying for this blog -- I am trying to see the advantage of using Typepad over Blogger. I don't want to lose my years of blogging on here and transferring them seems to be something that would be near to impossible (and if there is a way, let me know).

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. As a lay person, it snuck up on me. Lent is not my liturgical season of choice. In fact, I really wish that we didn't have Holy Week all crammed into a week. It's too much.

I've been Facebooking quite a bit. I've connected with those who I haven't seen in a long time. And for those I do know, I have connected in a way that I can keep up with them on a more personal level. 

For Lent, I will attempt to be more intentional on my blog, in some way every day.  it may be a personal note, some music video that speaks to me or a Lenten message.

More of this and that.... and it's cold

Kind of a few busy weeks -- Mom is mending and we return for another appointment to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully we will get a good report that the antibiotic has done its job.

After 14 years, my paraprofessional is student teaching and her daughter in law is her substitute while she is on leave. Talk about feeling out of sorts! I am sure she will do a great job, but she is/was my right hand and so I am having to regroup. After having someone in the same room for half of your career, I knew it would be an adjustment.
And it is.

I know you folks up north think it is hilarious when we think it getting down to the teens is frigid when you all are having even colder weather, remember we are not equipped to handle the cold!

I am trying to start reading again after about a month hiatus. Hopefully I can get into blogging also --- ever feel a dry spell???

Bundling up for a cold couple of days here -- what are your plans for this weekend?