The Summa Mamas

Appetizer: Three smart people: Fr Allan Hawkins, Steven Riddle, PBXVI

Soup: Last food I didn't like: The Mexican food we ate at a restaurant in San Diego. It was bland.

Salad: Rename my street? Nah. I live on St. Maria Ct. That sounds pretty good to me!

Main: Last time I was surprised? When Smock and the Smockhub asked us to be godparents for the twins.

Dessert: Household tip? Open your mail standing by the trash can and dump everything you can into the trash right away. Don't let it sit around to multiply and generate more paper. It's cut down paper clutter in my house by 90%.

Three smart people: my brother, my husband, and Mama-Lu. my life has been greatly improved because of my relationship with these three and how much they've taught me about life, God, family, people and everything else.

Last food I didn't like: doesn't happen too often, can't think of anything.

Rename my street: Lantern Hill. I've always wanted to live on this street.

Last time I was surprised: when my baby boy at 26 weeks turned out to be a baby girl (due 10/08)

Household Tip: organize all your drawers once a year to keep control on all the clutter that builds up. either that or move once every 3 years :) my grandma does one room a month and by the end of the year she's gone through everything and then she starts over. but she is also the neatest cleanest person I've ever met.

Appetizer
intelligence: my english teacher from high school, mr. king; addictions counseling professor, dr. d; and my brother dennis

Soup
hmmm...my husband called them ipswich clams - ewww.

Salad
Avenue of I Have to Get to the Post Office Before it Closes (i'm a block and a half away and i take my life into my hands going to my car if it's about 4:55 p.m.)

Main Course
when my husband called and told me we were voted "best breakfast" in the paper, just yesterday :)

Dessert
mr. clean magic eraser = a very cool thing.

Appetizer
intelligence: Pope Benedict XVI, Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn

Soup
Tofu:

Salad
Cross than when you tell people you live on a cross street and giving directions would be pretty funny.

Main Course
Election of Pope Benedict XVI.

Dessert
Brasso works great on scracthed CDs and DVDs.

Appetizer: 1. My long time co-conspirator in projects technical and artistic, Mike. 2. I cannot say, because there is a possibility this person would read this and it could cause head expansion. 3. Benito Mussolini (you didn't say they had to be alive)

Soup: Some sort of horrid fries that had a batter coating with lots of paprika oleoresin on them. Battered fries are an abomination!

Salad: Via del Caudillo.

Main Course: By how much I liked the most recent Star Wars movie (in spite of the funniest dialog I have heard in ages).

Dessert: If you are clever enough you can always think of valid-sounding excuses for why you can't get a puppy, but you might eventually get to the end and have to break it to your beloved child that "well, when it comes down to it, I can't stand the stinky, noisy, dangerous, and filthy things. Why can't you settle for a pet weasel?"

Appetizer: Pope JPII, my best friend (she knows everything about anything)

Soup: orzo - that stuff really bothers me

Salad: Anything but 13th! My SIL told her husband that's why we hadn't had any girls (this was a while ago). At least that changed!

Main Course: Last Christmas when my older boys gave me a book I never thought I'd find - "Who Gets The Drumstick" by Helen North Beardsley. They also gave me the old movie "Yours, Mine, and Ours" to go with it. I cried.

Dessert: I do specific types of laundry on specific days. For example, my youngest kids clothes get done on Monday. It has really helped a lot. I rarely get behind now.

admire: smockdaddy, Fr. Hawkins, and mamaT. boy, i'm surrounded by smart people.
last yucky food: i don't really taste things i don't like the smell of - it prevents me from actually eating yucky stuff.
street: saint maria court so that mamaT and i could be neighbors.
genuinely surprised: when i saw TWO babies in the sonogram!
household tip: hire a maid.

A....my three children

So...arugulla

Sa...Desert Trail

M...my 45th wedding ann.

D...the dirt will always be there / your children won't

1) My sweetheart, Stephen B. Clark, Pope JPII

2) Rice pudding with way too much rose water flavoring

3) Charity Rd. -- I found a subdivision in Florissant, MO with streets named things like Mildness, Patience, etc. How could you yell at a kid if you lived on Mildness St.?

4) When my son told me he will be studying for the ministry.

5) Get one of those small powerful canister vacuums for under $100. Worth its weight in gold.

Smartest: JPII, Peter Kreeft, my pastor (intimidatingly so)

Awful Food: Anything smoked.

Street: Glencadia Ave. It was the orignal name of our town, settled by Scots-Irish, but now it has a Dutch name that's a tongue-twister. And our street is now a numbered street. Not too imaginative.

Surprised: The two times I found out I was expecting - the same two times I thought I was paying attention. Apparently I was not - but those two lads are precious and dear, regardless.

Tip: Installed a paper towel holder in upstrs bath under the sink, and keep a second supply of cleaning things up there so I don't have to lug it up. Now there's no excuses. Also...reading Flylady helps, too, for motivational purposes. (flylady.com)

Appetizer: Joseph Ratzinger, Karol Wojtyla, Mother Teresa

Soup: Saltless spaghetti

Salad: Vatican

Main Course: When John Hurley lost in Dancing With The Stars.

Dessert: Use Simple Green.