My Wonderful Gift

When I was little, I always remember my mom wearing a colorful medal or "medalla" of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos. The translation for this is Our Lady of Saint John of The Lakes. I never knew, growing up, anything about this Saint but after recent readings have learned that San Juan de los Lagos is a town in the northeast corner of Jalisco, Mexico, in a region known as Los Altos. It's known as the home of a small image of the Virgin Mary called Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos.

The first important miracle associated to the image was around 1623 when a family of acrobats had a show which included “flying” over a field of spear points. The seven-year-old daughter fell onto the spears during the act and immediately died. Local women brought the image to the body and prayed over it until the child revived. This miracle made the image famous. Since then, many other miracles have been attributed to her intercession and they often relate to recuperation from dangerous illnesses and/or danger.

I remember one time, my mom's brother was gravely ill and my mom made a promise to Our Lady that if my uncle would get better, the next time we visited Mexico, she would go to the church where her statue stands and make a pilgrimage on her knees as a gesture of thanksgiving.  The floors of the church at the time were old and wooden and I remember watching as my mother went from the back of the church to the statue in front on her knees and when she was done, her knees had splinters and were bloody.  I didn't understand at the time the significance of this or the importance that Our Lady held for my mom.

When I was 14, my mom became very ill and was admitted into the hospital. My dad put her medalla away and a few months later, when my mom passed away, I asked him for it. I wanted to wear it so I could feel close to her. I don't think I had worn it a week when one day at school, I noticed it wasn't hanging from my neck. I panicked and checked all the classrooms I had been in, went to the office to see if it had been turned in and looked in the parking lot. No luck! When my dad picked me up that day, I tore the car apart looking for it, then went home and tore my room apart as well. I remembered that the day before, my best friend and I had walked to the shopping center in town. I called her and we retraced our steps, visiting every store we had been to the day before to see if someone had turned it in. Across the street from the shopping center there was a Montgomery Ward and you had to cross a busy street. We went there and asked if they had found it and they said no. Feeling really terrible about losing something that was so special to my mom, we started to make our way home. We had to cross two streets at the busy intersection but as usual, we never crossed at the crosswalk. When we got to the Blvd. we waited for a break in traffic and ran to the center island to wait for the traffic going in the opposite direction to ease. As we stood there waiting to cross, I saw a shiny object in the middle of the street. I tried to see what it was but the cars kept running over it. Finally I ran into the street, stopping traffic to pick up the object and there, in the middle of Harbor Blvd. was my mom's medalla. Somehow it has slipped off the chain and fallen in the street. Cars were honking at me and I must have looked a little nuts as I yelled and jumped around excited that I had found it. After I composed myself and got out of the middle of the street, I looked at the medalla and amazingly it was not broken. It sat in the street for 24 hours with cars driving over it and aside from the small stones around the front, it was in the same condition as before.
I took the medalla home and put it away, afraid to wear it again.  This was 36 years ago.  Then about a year ago, I started thinking about the medalla again.  I wanted to wear it but was afraid of losing it.  I thought about getting it fixed somehow so it wouldn't come off a chain but never got around to doing it.  Then around November, for some reason, I really felt moved to wear it again.  I told my husband and kids that I wanted to take it in to get it fixed but again, didn't really get to it because our finances were tight.  I thought, maybe after Christmas.  Then before the holidays, I had mentioned it to a friend and she said she wanted to see it.  She said she knew someone who might be able to fix it so I gave it to her.  A few weeks went by and I asked her about it and she said she would check with her friend.  A couple more weeks went by and again I asked her and she said she had forgot but would ask her friend.  Finally last week-end, she called and said that the jeweler wasn't going to be able to fix it the way I wanted (double lock on the chain and have the ring that hold the medalla soldered so it won't fall off) and she had seen my daughter earlier and gave it to her to give to me.

When my husband and daughter got home I immediatley asked her for the medalla and she handed it to me and said she had gotten it fixed for me.  I laughed and started to put it away but she said she was serious.  Apparently, she knew how much I wanted it fixed and asked my friend to somehow get the medalla from me so she could give it to my daughter.  My husband took her to the jewelers and they had the ring soldered closed and bought a new chain for it.  I am so happy that now, after all these years, I can finally wear something that was so special to my mom and is now just as special to me.  I am also so touched and blessed to have a family that loves me so much that they would do this for me.  Thank you Robert, Alyssa and Lou....I love you guys!

A Lesson To Be Learned

Friday I decided I wanted my house clean.  We all picked a room and went at it.  I chose the main bathroom because I wanted to make sure it was done right.  This particular bathroom has been one of my least favorite rooms in the house.  To me, it seems awkward and not very nice.  Over the years, the floor has needed replacing as well as the toilet and cabinets.  Thankfully over the Christmas break, my brother-in-law was gracious enough to come and help my husband redo the room.  Now I love it which is why I want to make sure it gets cleaned and maintained properly.

Now, the tub in this particular bathroom is ugly but we were not fortunate enough to be able to replace that.  It has these non-skid strips on the floor of the tub that over the years has gotten to look pretty disgusting and there is a small area of rust near the drain.  I have tried to bleach the strips clean, tried magic erasers and nothing has worked.   A while back my cousin bought a toilet cleaner called The Works and he said he used it in his tub and it got it really clean. 

I poured some in the tub, on the strips and left the room.  I had intended to let it set for a few minutes and then clean and rinse......but I forgot.  It sat in the tub overnight Friday and all day Saturday.  About 3pm, my daughter was going to take a shower and asked what that disgusting stuff in the tub was.   I remembered the cleaner and told her to just rinse out the tub.  She came back and informed me that there was now a hole in the tub.  WHAT!!!  I went in and sure enough, this stuff has eaten away at the finish and made a hole all the way through.  That's not the worst part.  The worst part was having to go outside and tell my husband:)

He checked it and as he usually does when he's not happy about something I do, he said nothing.  I watched as he walked back and forth from the bathroom to the garage and back again. :(  He called my brother-in-law and left to Home Depot.  He came back with a patch and tried applying it.  Because the tub had a hole, the paste just kept falling through.  He found something to plug the hole and applied the patch.  Now we have to wait 16 hours to see if it works.  Crossing my fingers!

So Much To Learn

So today was my first day of class.  My Adobe Photoshop class started at 8am.  I was on the waiting list and wanted to get there early so I could secure a space.  The good news...I made it in the class.  The bad news....There are only 18 students in the class and there needs to be 20.  I'm hoping the 18 is close enough that they won't cancel but with budget cuts who knows.  Class size is good and I was able to keep up pretty much.  I've taken this class before and was pretty lost since I didn't have the program at home to practice on.  This time around, I have a program that hopefully I can practice on and grasp the technique.  I really have a problem understanding layers.

My second class was at 1pm and it's Digital Scrapbooking.  I was also on the waiting list for this.  I again arrived early to secure my spot.  Wow!  So many people and men as well as women.  The class was full but luckily I was able to grab a seat and a computer.  One poor guy had to sit and watch.  This class is so full of information but the good thing is that they work with Adobe Photoshop so I'll not only learn in my first class but the second as well.  Double learning. 

Tomorrow I am both excited and scared.  I have an Excel class that is long overdue.  As I said in my last post, when I left the work force, we were using Plan Perfect and the formulas were all in place.  All I had to do was input numbers and balance the books.  Now everything is Excel and I don't know squat about formulas nor do they really interest me.  I'm not so much about creating formulas as I am about data entry.

By the time I left there today, my little brain hurt.  Tomorrow I know I'm gonna be just as worn out since I'll be in class most of the day.  Today I had a 2-hour class then a 2-hour break and another 3-hour class.  Tomorrow I'll be there from 9am-12 and 1pm-4pm.  Whew!  That's alot of learning for this old lady.  I hope I can keep up!!

School Girl Jitters

I am a firm believer that you're never too old to learn.  I preach that all the time to people and encourage others to take classes in what they're interested in.  I used to take classes when I was working, mostly because it was required of the employees to learn new computer programs.

I've been out of the traditional work force for 10 years and feel that I'm lost as far as computer programs and updates.  In fact, when I left my previous job at the local community college, we were still using WordPerfect and PlanPerfect.  Now with all the changes and transitions to Word and Excel, I am lost.  I need to learn the new programs so I can not only keep up to date but begin to look for work again.  My husband has been out of work for a  year and as much as I love staying home with my son and homeschooling, I feel that I need to get out and bring home some money.  I've looked and feel so discouraged with the requirements needed for the jobs I've found. 

I decided to take some classes and tomorrow is my first day.  I am going to take Excel because that's an important one and will also take Adobe Photoshop Elements.  I love to craft and take pictures and this class will help with creating interesting things.  I've also included Digital Scrapbooking and Digital Photo Albums.  Since I love to craft and create, I thought that if I learned as much as I can about computer graphics programs, I can somehow turn that into a money making business.

I haven't taken a class in quite awhile and must admit that I'm a little nervous and excited to learn.  I hope I can keep up:)

Baby Steps

One of my new years resolutions was to accomplish something every day.  This doesn't neccesarily mean something huge.  It just means to accomplish anything.  There are days when I just can't seem to get anything done.  Either there is so much to do, I'm overwhelmed, or I just get a little lazy and think maybe tomorrow I'll do it. 

Working from home gives me the flexibility to dress or not, shower or not, clean or not, but it does nothing for the spirit.  On the days when I decide to just schlup (is this a word?) around, I feel unsuccessful, lost, low and discouraged.  I have also found that if I have too much on my to do list (I am a list freak) I get a bit overwhelmed to get it all done. 

Today, I decided to try something new.  I woke up and as usual my first thought was, Ugh, maybe I can continue my dream where I left off.  Then I opened my eyes and just lay there for a minute gathering my thoughts for the moment.  I didn't go over everything I needed to accomplish, but just thought about what I needed or wanted to do at that moment.  I decided to say my Rosary as I try to do everyday.  Once I finished, I decided to get into the shower and get ready early.  As I was showering, I realized that I had accomplished two things this morning.  I thought about what my next step would be.  I did my hair and make-up and then made my way to the computer to check emails. 

Now I am sitting here writing this post.  Another accomplishment.  I'm sure to most people this is not a big deal but for someone who has trouble staying on track, this is huge and I'm gonna continue taking ONE BABY STEP AT A TIME.

Happy New Year!!

Ah the new year....so many dreams and visions for the year.  It seems so funny that we all wait until the new year to decide what we want to change or achieve in the months to come.  It's like, "I want to change but have to wait until Jan. 1st.  I, too, fall into this trap of creating resolutions and lists of things I want to accomplish or change. 

I was none too sad to say good-bye to 2011.  Not a great year for us at all.  I greet this new year with  apprehension for what's to come but with much hope and confidence that it will be better.  I don't know what this year has in store for us but I will do my best to wake up each day, excited about what's to come. 

I have resolved to learn as much as I can this year and do more of what makes me happy instead of what I dread.  I am already enrolled to take some classes at the college doing what I enjoy....Scrapbooking and computer graphics.  I hope to learn things that I can somehow incorporate into a business.

I am also looking for the right volunteer opportunity.  I think it's about time I took the focus off our our problems and started trying to help others with theirs.

I will try my best to end each day knowing more than when I started the day.  I want to stay positive and have faith that 2012 will be much nicer to me and my family.

I Saved with Coupons

I love to watch Extreme Couponing!  Not because I want to have rooms and rooms of products but because I want to learn how to feed my family for less!  I know there is a way to save but the savings never seem to add up.....Until today!

I coerced my husband to go with me and with grocery list in hand and coupon binder in tow, we made our way to Ralphs.  Now keep in mind that no one really likes to go grocery shopping with me because I tend to spend way too much time in the store.  I stroll the isles, find the products I need and then check prices, package size and then compare which is the better deal.  This takes time and frankly my family would rather do other things. 

Today, I'm sure my husband just wanted to get in and out.  We walked in and right away, he wanted to know what was on the list so we could just grab and go.  We pushed our way through the crowded store and picked up the items on the list that included:  Ground cinnamon, a gallon of milk, a box of chocolate donuts, 2 containers of ice cream, 4 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent rolls, 2 tubes of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, 9 boxes of Green Giant Frozen Vegetables, 4 boxes of General Mills cereal, 2-10 lb. bags of potatoes, 1 pkg. Rosemary, 1 stalk celery, 1 qt. Egg Nog. and a 19-lb. Turkey.  I had my manufacturer coupons as well as my Ralphs coupons. 

At the register, all scanned items rang up at  $127.08.  I made sure my husband saw that amount.  Then the Ralphs Club Card brought it down to $53.73.  Then my coupons brought it down even further to $39.43.  My husband was very impressed and happy.  So was I!  I couldn't believe I bought what I did for less than $40.00. 

I must say that as I sit and clip all the coupons each week, I ask myself, "Is this all worth it?"  Well today made it all worth it.  I just hope I can continue to save this much money each and every week.

Thank you to all who graciously hand their coupons over to me each week!  My family and I appreciate it so much!  Until next week....HAPPY CLIPPING!

Cinnamon Rolls (Check your ingredients)

Today I decided to take my bread maker out of the storage cabinet and make (for the first time) homemade cinnamon rolls.  I gathered my ingredients for the dough and placed them all in my bread maker and turned it on to do its thing.

My son gets so excited when we do new things and he couldn't stop checking the little window to see what was happening in there.  An hour and 20 minutes later, the machine beeped and it was on to the cutting board to roll out the dough and spread it with butter, cinnamon and sugar.  Next we rolled the dough and cut into circles, put it in the greased baking pan to rise for an hour.

Hour's up and now it's time to put those babies in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  So exciting I can't wait to try them.  The timer goes off and they're ready to glaze.  For some reason though, the glaze is clumping up and not thining out.  I pour it over some and go for the taste.  Ummm, not the soft, sweet cinnamon rolls I was expecting.  I check the container and I guess in my rush to finish these off, I used Corn Starch instead of Powdered Sugar.  Oh no!   I quickly take them out of the baking pan and mix a batch of glaze (using the sugar of course) and pour it over the rolls. 

Now we're talking.  Soft, warm, sweet cinnamon rolls just like I imagined.  So easy to make but please make sure you take out the sugar and not the starch!

Bread Maker Cinnamon  Rolls

DOUGH:

1 Egg & enough water to make 1 cup  (water should be 80°)

1/4 Cup Oil

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Salt

3-1/2 Cups Bread Flour

1-1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

OPTIOINAL ADD-INS:

1/2 Cup Walnuts (optional)

1/2 Cup Raisins (optional)

FILLING:

1/3 Cup Butter softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 TBL. Cinnamon

GLAZE:

1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

3 TBL. Milk

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

Put all "dough" ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Program machine to DOUGH setting and start.  When machine beeps, you can add the optional add-ins.

When dough is done, place on a lightly floured surface and roll dough in a 12 x 18 inch rectangle for approximatley 18 rolls.    Spread dough with butter.  Sprinke with cinnamon/sugar mixture and roll tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with the longest side and cut into one inch slices.

Place in greased baking pan and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until done

Mix glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over top. 

Enjoy!!

Persimmon Cookies

Today seemed like a perfect day to bake.  My cousin gave me a few persimmons and one was just ripe for baking.  I gathered my ingredients and began.  I think these cookies turned out pretty yummy.  I just hope they last long enough for the rest of the family to try them:)

PERSIMMON COOKIES

1/2 cup margerine or butter

1 cup sugar

 1 egg
1 tsp.baking soda
1 cup persimmon pulp
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream margerine or butter and sugar until blended.  Add egg,  persimmon pulp and baking soda. Mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients, nuts, chocolate chips & raisins. Drop on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Interest in Pinterest

A few weeks ago, my niece and my sister were talking about this new addiction they have.  PINTEREST!  My niece sent me an invitation to join which I ignored....until recently.  I didn't know what it was, didn't care, and especially didn't have time for one more thing to take up my time. 

I tried looking at the site but didn't get it.  Just a bunch of pictures that made no sense to me.  I didn't really care to spend my time looking at other people's "boards" with their "pins."  What do I care what other people like or are interested in. 

I have so much in my life that takes every ounce of time I have, I really didn't want anything else to complicate my routine or sometimes lack of.  I do alot of searches on the web for things like card ideas, gift ideas, recipes, etc.  When I find something I like, I usually add it to my favorites.  The trouble with that is I'm pretty visual and when I want to look at something I've saved in my Favorites, it just seems a little overwhelming because I have to read through all the folders and find what I'm looking for.

I decided to look at Pinterest again and try to figure out what this thing is all about.  I set up an account, set up a couple of "Boards," and looked through a couple of things.  Basically, it seems like a visual "Favorites Board."  When I find something on the web I like instead of saving it a favorites folder, I "Pin It" to a Board I've created within my Pinterest account.  I can create as many Boards (or Folders) that I want and then pin my information on the Board.  I can now go to my account, look at my boards, and refer back to the things I've saved by seeing the actual picture of what it was.  Sounds a little confusing but I love it.  It's like having all these bulletin boards with pictures or names of sites pinned on them.

Although I do love it for being more interesting than my Favorites, it's not something I would become addicted to.  From what I understand, there are actually people who spend hours on this site just looking things up.  I do have a life and a full one at that but I do love when something can simplify things and Pinterest is one of those things.