Pinewood Castle

Blogger's Tea - It's a Small World After All!

 Hopefully you have already found everyone's lovely posts about our 3rd Annual Blogger's Tea? If not, just check out my shared items for links.

I really don't have much to add except to tell you that only half the guests on the guest list were able to attend. Can you believe we are really getting to be such a large group? We pondered why that might be . . . cabin fever? It is definitely therapeutic to maintain connection with others when the temps dip below zero!

Here are some individual shots of the ladies (please forgive me for not linking)

Josefa - we recently discovered we are practically neighbors - small world!

Jamie-who-drank-too-much-tea! Do we share a small world story, Jamie? Maybe not, but we do seem to have much in common. Seriously, though, she is sacrificing a lot to have this fifth baby. Send some prayers her way for these last few weeks!

Sarah who won Meredith's book - she lives near my husband's grandmother - small world!

Meredith who won Karen's book. We discovered we are practically neighbors too! And our girls attended the same birthday party last week - small world!

Kristina who went to school with my husband - small world!

And Margaret. Small world - we used to go to the same Bible study way back before we were too busy with homeschooling. We used to see each other at the Latin Mass back then too. I was hopelessly  distracted by her daughter Cate's baby face during Mass. And get this, we both used to wear blue corduroy knickers back when we were on staff at Interlochen. We were there the  same summer but did not know one another. We must have crossed paths, though, because I worked a lowly food service job to be there so I probably saw her at least three times a day as she came through the cafeteria line!

See, here I am with 80's bangs:

Margaret, if you have an old Interlochen photo I would love to see it. You don't have to blog it. But we've already seen your 80's look so you have nothing to lose, right?

You've seen the whole group, right? God bless the lady who took seven photos with seven different cameras!

One more thing look what they had for sale there - aprons!

I did not buy one, but I did purchase some loose tea and scone mix for tea time.

Until next year . . .

Go Visit Margaret Today

 . . . because she has published an absolutely snort-and-belly-laugh post covering the highlights of our 3rd Annual Blogger's Tea!

She must have knocked herself out to find a blogging time slot over the weekend.

I, on the other hand, wiled away the day at the St. Paul Irish Fair (after Mass of course), came home, showered, ate pizza and went to sleep early.You see, someone is adjusting to her new toddler bed this weekend and is preventing the rest of us from getting enough sleep.

You know what this means, don't you? Hearing little pitter-pats as late as 10pm, seeing a rascally smiling face and returning the little cherub back to her bed. Ditto at 5am! At least she is not climbing out of the crib anymore and risking potential injury.

So head over and see what we were up to Saturday! It was a wonderful diversion from spending time with my sleep-deprived toddler!

What Happened

It was the Zicam post - the one about the recall due to people reporting a loss of smell that attracted some riff-raff to my blog.

While I do not want to give this situation undue attention I thought it might be helpful to share a little about what I have learned from this experience.

First, I apologize for being so thin-skinned and reactionary. I see myself in my kids when they get upset when things don't go their way. Unfortunately I am both immature and inexperienced with blog troubles. I might still be lacking in maturity but at least I feel a bit more experienced after this.

My main concern before starting this blog was wondering how I would handle inevitable hecklers. In case you are are thinking of blogging, here's what showed up in my com box:

The first was from "Joe Shmoe"

this is the typical "big brother" trying to get rid of something that actually works...it works too good that is the problem so they can't sell their crap cold medicine....it's so typical

I wasn't too happy about this one and his use of the "c" word but the next one from "Think About It" bothered me more:

COME ON! Do you have a brain? If so, USE IT! THINK! 130 cases in 10 years, out of how many milllion doses? Think about it! It's just the FDA trying to kill another great product because they can't find a way to leech $$$ from it. The FDA is NOT in the business of protecting us, it is in the business of killing us! For example, they stall or deny drugs that help cancer patients, which have been proven safe and are used in other countries with incredible success! Yet the FDA won't allow it here because in the big picture, they'll lose $$$ from the other drug companies they leech off of since those drugs are far less successful and will stop being used because we'll all vote with our $$$. Beware of the FDA! Once again, they are using scare tactics to kill a very GOOD and successful product they will lose $$$ over. Don't get caught up in the hype, do the research, use your brain, think. Logic and rational thought is your fri end, FDA scare tactics is not.

That's it. Just two. I know many of you have endured MUCH worse!!!

Chances are, these folks have never before visited my blog and never will again. But still. I will be making some changes:

1. My DH showed me how people search for blog posts linking to major news articles - so I will refrain from linking to major news articles from now on!
2. One wise blogger friend suggested to just "block and delete" the weirdos - easy enough!
3. And yet another blogging veteran suggested turning off comments - I will try this for a while. Comments are nice when they come, but they are not my main motivation for blogging.
4. Topics involving natural health care options have attracted the most "off" comments. I would love to write more posts on the topic but will think twice before I do.

So I hope you have my email address if you want to be in touch. Feel free to use it and I will do my best to reply!

Signing Off

I have received some unsettling comments recently from readers who are unknown to me. This takes the fun out of blogging for me and makes me wonder who my readers are and if these commenters are regular readers or people who search out specific topics to badger people about.

Hosting a personal blog is a little like having an open house but not being there to see who walks through. Some are friends, some relatives, some are honest and supportive readers and the others - I have no idea. The Traffic Meter sometimes shows some exotic locations but does not tell me exactly who is coming by.

I know we cannot expect the web to be a safe haven and have to be on guard. So far my blog has been a relatively safe place for this little spot of my own but today I feel . . . like I have some unwelcome and uncharitable guests.

I may resume after a time but for now I think a break is best. Have a lovely summer!

I Caved

And joined Facebook. During Lent?! I realized afterward that I hadn't been out of the house for three days. Ya think that might have had something to do with it? So look me up and we can be friends. Just don't poke me (ouch!) and please no virtual gifts!

New Blogger on the Block

My friend and neighbor, Amber, has begun a blog of her own! Stop by Miracles on Mama Street and give her a big welcome!

A New Year

Do you make resolutions? Seems kind of redundant for Catholics. I mean, we make then during Lent. We make some during Advent. We make them when we pray the Act of Contrition and when we go to confession. And I think at those times and in that context we get the grace from God to actually stick to them.

But it doesn't stop me from making them anyway, along with many plans for the new year. So my list for 2009 is an odd mix of resolutions and plans. It looks something like this:

• exercise regularly (after cleaning the basement and reacquainting myself with my treadmill I already feel like less of a blob!)
• start program with nutritionist/chiropractor I've been seeing after the car accident for health overhaul (further thyroid testing, low glycemic diet, de-tox program)
• get mercury fillings out now that the baby is weaned
• read more
• knit more - learn to knit more than just scarves
• bake more bread
• join YMCA this summer
• cook more meals for the freezer for easier weeknights
• go to the North Shore and Canada this summer
• explore future career ideas for my empty nest years (I need more social security points!)
• more love

The last one is the one that's really been bugging me. I need to take some time to recharge my love batteries.

When I struggle daily to get the kids to obey promptly I think "Love makes obedience easy. How much do I really love them and do they really love me? Do I model politeness and patience or are they just deaf and resistant to remembering the steps of our well-posted routines?"

When my husband and I quarrel or at a stand-off I think, "CLANGING CYMBAL!"

And most of all with prayer and Catholic devotions that sometimes feel tedious I think, "True love of God should really be the foundation out of which these devotions flow" and wonder if my efforts are sincere. More on this later - it's on my heart after reading Called Out of Darkness, conversion story of author Ann Rice (thanks, Sheri!)

So this is a small part of my ongoing conversion - more love. Taking joy in serving my family. With real love for God as the foundation of it all.

Thank you, everyone who reads this, for your support and friendship.

I wish you many blessings and graces for the New Year. Pray for me and I will and do pray for you too!

Tracy

Housekeeping Note

Typepad has changed the commenting format, you may have noticed. You get a little picture or "avatar" by your comment if you have one. The email notification I receive no longer displays the commenter's email address so my easiest way to reply to any questions you ask is to leave a comment myself. What I do not know is if commenters receive an email notification of the reply. Let me know if you do!

So, if you ask a question, please check back with the comments to see my reply. I preferred in the past to email replies privately, but will switch to this for convenience.

And thanks to all of you brave souls who do take the trouble to comment - I love to hear from you!

Advent blessings,
Tracy

As much as I love blogging and staying in touch with friends and family, old and new, I have to do something else with my evenings for a while.

Like this

Or this

My bathroom scale is telling me that my homeschooling life is becoming way too sedentary - I cannot continue to bake cakes and sit on the sofa for hours reading time without balancing it out with vigorous exercise.

The clothes in my closet are telling me by the tight fit that eating healthy organic whole food is not enough. Even after all the fresh local produce we have been enjoying, all the whole grains and smoothies for breakfast, I must also get regular exercise. A good diet (with occasional indulgences) is not enough for this body God gave me.

My doctor has told me in the past to eat a low-glycemic diet but I just wasn't motivated. Looking through the South Beach diet plan was just too overwhelming for me at the time. Now I realize that the low glycemic diet is much like the Eat Right For Your Blood Type diet with with I have lost weight in the past, after baby #2.

So here I am back to a gluten-free, mostly dairy free, high protein and low sugar diet.

It's a drag, but

I've done it before with relative success so I guess I can do it again.

As much as I would like to share all the highlights of our fun-filled week: veiwing the Vatican Splendors exhibit, a trip to the apple orchard, our visit from my family from Oklahoma and our annual birthday date to A Prairie Home Companion show, it will have to wait.

We had third row seats this year, bty (thanks honey!). And we could see the stage dors from our spot in the parking ramp. We waved to Pat Donohue and he waved back! And the Irish band, Solas, was awesome. I totally want the CD.

I also want to tell you how much I love listening to The Days Gone By CD every October. I love every note of it.

And I want to give you links to all this too but I can't right now so I hope you like googling!

I will be back later - pray for me and wish me lots of luck and willpower!!!

Many Thanks

I am having so much fun reading all of your comments and congratulations. Way a great way to count heads and to know who is reading! I am so excited to hear from all of you, especially those habitual lurkers.

Please know that I totally understand, though, and do the same thing even with my absolute favorite blogs. Not from lack of interest, just lack of time. It does take a while to think of something to day, decipher the code and identify oneself.

Ok, twelve down (counting my hubby), 28 to go! Who else is out there?