Happy FAT TUESDAY - and here's the history on it!

SO many folks are asking me 'what the heck is Fat Tuesday?' that I had to look it up for a better explanation than "well, it's pig out day before Lent"...and here's what I found...

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last hurrah before the Catholic season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. It also has links to the Christmas season through the period known as Carnival.

Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the "last hurrah" before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That's why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.

What is less known about Mardi Gras is its relation to the Christmas season, through the ordinary-time interlude known in many Catholic cultures as Carnival. (Ordinary time, in the Christian calendar, refers to the normal "ordering" of time outside of the Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter seasons.)

Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning "farewell to the flesh." Like many Catholic holidays and seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early as the middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.

The Carnival season kicks off with the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night, Three Kings' Day and, in the Eastern churches, Theophany. Epiphany, which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties leading up to Mardi Gras.
Epiphany is also traditionally when celebrants serve King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it that the cakes were made in a circle to represent the circular routes that the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was hidden inside the cake, and whoever found the item was said to have good luck in the coming year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King Cake party.

There are well-known season-long Carnival celebrations in Europe and Latin America, including Nice, France; Cologne, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The best-known celebration in the U.S. is in New Orleans and the French-Catholic communities of the Gulf Coast. Mardi Gras came to the New World in 1699, when a French explorer arrived at the Mississippi River, about 60 miles south of present day New Orleans. He named the spot Point du Mardi Gras because he knew the holiday was being celebrated in his native country that day.

Eventually the French in New Orleans celebrated Mardi Gras with masked balls and parties, until the Spanish government took over in the mid-1700s and banned the celebrations. The ban continued even after the U.S. government acquired the land but the celebrations resumed in 1827. The official colors of Mardi Gras, with their roots in Catholicism, were chosen 10 years later: purple, a symbol of justice; green, representing faith; and gold, to signify power.
Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival. The day is also known as Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive," or hear confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins.

...so there you have it. Just in case you didn't know, and just in case you did.

...happy 'fat Tuesday' and may your lenten season be a joyful offering to the Lord this year.

Winter Olympics - skates, bickering and DRAMA

Normally I don't watch the Olympics, but my hubby has been totally into it as of late (being sick will do that to you) and it's what's on at the house.

Sometimes, however, I'm not sure if I'm watching a world class competition between top athletes or a daily soap opera.

Take the Italian pair skaters. DRAMA! TENSION! STARE DOWNS! DENIALS! HATRED!...oh yeah, and they skated. Apparently this 'team' came out of retirement due to the Olympics being in Italy and placed! Estatic, they skated again and, well, we think the male partner screwed up or something because his lady partner was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. And not just for a while, but for like a whole 24 hours before they were to skate again. The cameras were on them backstage as they burned holes through each other and the commentators were commentating on who stared at who and who was mad at who and what for...this is skating?

I wasn't thrilled with that coverage although it was like watching a car wreck, you can't look away. Why didn't the Italian woman skater MOVE ON? It's the Olympics for God's Sake! Probably her last one - and boy, was she spiteful. Shameful, really for an athlete to act.

Keep in mind that there were other ice dancing partners that were THROWN accidentally of course, on their faces or taken to the hospital during their programs and THEY spoke to their partners. It's called a MISTAKE. They happen.

Apparently not for Miss Italy. If looks could kill. A special note, after their final program was over (which she graciously asked her partner "are you OKAY" seconds before they began to skate after all the ignoring, staring and being a shrew) and did a pretty good skate. They showed the male partner afterwards, backstage, and boy, was he an emotional wreck (no thanks to his female partner's actions of course). He was actually crying - the coaches were trying to console him, and what was SHE doing?

Just casually drinking from her water bottle, looking somewhere else.

Boy, such teamwork. One of the commentators said that he wondered what this shameful skater's young daughter would say when she's old enough to see Mommy act like this on tape years from now.

Try 'ashamed'.

Then there's the United States. Sigh. Well, we did have our Tanya Harding thing years ago, and I prayed that it was the LAST time the US would have such a drama. But no, last night we had two TEAM-MATES at each other's throats during the speed skating programs. It seemed like the media was blowing it out of proportion, then the athletes started to speak very well of one another, and then - BOOM! One of them complains about the other at the media after the last event and all hell breaks loose.

Manners, people.

Perhaps we should bring Fencing into the Winter Sports to settle problems like this - you know, like they did in the old days? LOL!

I say bring back the teamwork when you're working with or on a TEAM atheletes! Really!!!

Instead of "Kill all the Laywers" we have..."Kill the Cartoonist"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11383819/

...so much for a religion of 'peace'...lovely! What are these folks thinking? Yes, we get it, you're offended - move on! Let it go!

How long are we going to have to hear about this one anyways?

A crossword I can live with

http://www.msnbc.com/comics/games/crossword.asp

But could do without the blasted timer in the upper left hand corner! Gotta start doing these before I turn into 'old timers' or Alzheimers girl! Get that brain going or something!

I'm normally awful at crosswords anyways, but this style being on the computer is a bit more 'user friendly' in my eyes.

Please pray for the hubby, he's very ill right now and feeling TERRIBLE!

The knitting no-no for Valentines Day...

from Stitch n' Bitch by Debbie Stoller:

"The legend goes it is bad luck to knit a sweater for a boyfriend, as it guarantees that the relationship will end. If you've spent a month or more working long and hard on a sweater only to have him not appreciate it enough or wear it very often, you might catch a lingering resentment and wind up dumping the ungrateful lout."

...but in my experience, knitting something for a special girlfriend that you KNOW she'll freak out about, now that's worth every stitch!

Happy St. Valentine's Day...may we remember the saints that are remembered on this day and that Love truly does conquer all things...

Article:"He gave me a flashlight for Valentine's Day!"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6941446/

...sorry, the title was so darn funny I had to share it. He gave her a flashlight? LOL! Maybe he wasn't being a jerk of a husband, really - maybe she could have been a bit more creative with it! I'm kidding, of course!

Let's hope it was a pink or red flashlight for crying out loud!

Man, I hope I get a flashlight - that works! With sparkles on it! It's what every woman wants for V-Day!!! So HOT!!!

I wonder how this guy proposed to his sweetie? Did he get her a lug nut?

Happy Valentines Day to everyone - we're celebrating this weekend by seeing a movie, exchanging cards and little candies and enjoying the Springtime weather we have over here.

Just beautiful!

In defense of Britney Spears

http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=214899

Okay, I don't own any albums of hers, I don't really enjoy seeing her all over the tabloids and newspapers and avoided her reality show featuring her courtship with her now husband.

Yesterday I heard about her latest endeavor (baby in her lap as she drove home a few miles fleeing from the cameras reportedly) and at first was horrified, but then thought to myself - um, remember after having your baby boy - even several months later - how OUT OF IT you were???

So, I'm here to say that I pulled a Britney, and I'm not even a star or even CLOSE to being that photographed.

I cannot remember how many months it was since I had my son, but he was still a little thing (well, little if you can refer to over 10 lbs. as a newborn as 'little') but I went to Target to get some baby things and after getting lost in the store and feeling totally out of sorts I went out to my van and realized that I locked myself out.

I panicked. I called Jenn-Irene. She came over, picked us up and at that point we realized that neither one of us had a car seat (this was before she had her son). I just wanted to go home and knew that I had about 15 minutes until my son started freaking out again (he was colicky really bad and I was so sleep deprived it wasn't even funny - I think I just recently recovered.

Anyhow, I convinced Jenn to drive me home (a few miles at most on a back road). A few hours later, I found my KEYS at the bottom of a jacket I was wearing (went through a hole or something). What a mess.

I remember Jenn driving me home and me holding JP in the back seat thinking "oh my goodness, I'm a horrible mother! I hope we don't get pulled over!!!" - my apologies to Jenn for dragging her into my mess and causing her to be in my 'Britney' moment.

So, I can't really judge Miss Britt because I did it too and I didn't have anyone chasing me either. I'm telling everyone this because sometimes ladies who have just had their children are a MESS and, quite frankly, shouldn't drive for a while.

Well, especially if they're like me and their hormones take FOUR freaking years to chill out.

God bless my friend Jenn for being there for me while I was a loopy hormonal new mom.

...and YES, I'm horrified at myself, and for Britney, but I do understand.

Now, about her t-shirts and clothes, I don't understand, truly.

Love being sick...

...still sick, but not as bad as I was last week. I could barely talk - well, maybe that's not such a bad thing for me! LOL!

I'm not sure if I had the flu thing AND a cold AND a sore throat or what the deal was, but man, am I tired and very sick of TheraFlu. Gag!

The strange thing is that I was feeling fine til I went to the gym. Hmmm. Maybe that's the problem! No, gotta keep going there if I want to be healthy again. And with all the activities coming up in the next few months I need to be in top shape.

Don't even mention bathing suit season. Totally not ready for that.

There's my sister graduating from Nursing School at the top of her class (not a big shock to us, she's very bright) the first week in May, then there's the Woodstock paint off for four days the week after (in May) and not to mention the mess in April - JP's birthday on Easter, Orthodox Easter the next week, JP's kid birthday party at the beginning of the month, JP's family party the week of, Sister in Law having kid around same time frame, my birthday (can I sleep in??), trade show with hospital with boss, boss going to Nashville next week, deadlines, appointments, birthdays, name day celebrations (March), parties, fundraisers - okay, I'm cutting myself off because I'm starting to stress out.

I'm scheduling my life out today for the next three months and boy, am I action packed.

I cannot afford to fall ill again - literally. January was my sick time. Next year I should get the flu shot although this year's batch was an OLD strain. Not sure if that would have helped me any.

Still on codeine cough meds, so if I don't make a lot of sense, chalk it up to that.

Knitting - my cousin bought me a cute little desk calendar with Knit Bits - and boy is it cool. She got it for a dollar at the local bookshop and it's perfect for my desk at work. We have a few knitsters at work although I miss Jenn-Irene's house for knitting nights. Now that I think of it, I never did get anything completed at her house - we had a lot of fun. The gals here at work are like LIFE knitters who learned from their great GREAT grandmothers or something like that - I'm totally behind but post things about knitting, get them together for knitting sales and the like.

In my spare time you know. LOL!