tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85902342011-04-21T15:11:18.523-05:00sandwich generation n. People who must care for both their children and their parents. Also: sandwiched generation.Katenoreply@blogger.comBlogger2271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-22644594696672927112007-06-10T02:02:00.001-05:002007-09-25T01:34:57.401-05:00

http://liferebourne.blogspot.com/

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1162182834409960352006-10-29T22:23:00.000-06:002006-10-29T22:33:54.426-06:00

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1162156968246930282006-10-29T15:18:00.000-06:002006-10-29T22:39:10.070-06:00

I am working on scanning some pictures to post for the Day of the Dead Grid Blog. Time is short, but any blogger can participate (click above). In honor of my mom, I will share pictures and words about her. This picture was her favorite, and the one she requested be included with her obituary. My brother and I spent a lot of time looking at old family photo with my grandma when we were small

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1156657660076527332006-08-27T00:46:00.000-05:002006-08-27T00:47:40.096-05:00

Kerouac's Rules for Writing (Learning, Teaching, Living....)* Be in love with yr life * Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition * Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy* Believe in the holy contour of life * Accept loss forever * Write in recollection and amazement for yourself * No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1151588011616462412006-06-29T08:19:00.000-05:002006-06-29T08:33:31.663-05:00

4 days ago I turned 40. This is where I planned to end this blog. And start a new one. Ha! I need some time to myself to gather my thoughts and write, but guess what? It's not happening. I guess this is a commentary on my life at 40. Maybe blogging is not going to be where I put my creative energy right now. Maybe instead I will get to:do laundry for 5 pour bowls of cheerios start the

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1149190958678159962006-06-01T14:33:00.000-05:002006-06-01T14:42:39.456-05:00

As unbelievable as it is to me, in just 12 days my oldest child will be 7 years old. And in 26 days I will be 40. I decided recently that June 26 would be a good time to wrap up this blog, and to possibly start a new one. "katesandwiched" does not describe my life any more, and therefore I believe it is time to move on. I want to spend the next few weeks looking back at what has been

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1149130259680573322006-05-31T21:31:00.000-05:002006-05-31T21:50:59.786-05:00

I wish I was writing more here, but time is not permitting it. Also feeling a little block, I hate to admit. Started going through boxes of my mom's stuff that I couldn't deal with last Fall when I stuck them in the garage. Here are a few things that have sparked my interest and that I would like to blog about:!. my mom's career in healthcare. I found a notebook she kept full of accolades

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1148147050566552032006-05-20T12:38:00.000-05:002006-05-20T12:44:10.566-05:00

The above link is to my new favorite blog. I am finding blogs by middle-aged women that I find very inspiring. Women who are artists and writers and mothers and grandmas. Women who are ahead of me on the road of living creatively. Role models! I need them, they make life seem more like an adventure. I found a link on Sacred Ordinary that is all about the art of journal writing. An

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1148146491456190052006-05-20T12:33:00.000-05:002006-05-20T12:34:51.470-05:00

"I am not at all convinced that life without conflict is desirable. There's not much conflict in the grave, but while we're alive the only creative choice is the choice of conflict."Madeleine L'Engle

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1147928303186394902006-05-17T23:50:00.000-05:002006-05-17T23:58:23.206-05:00

I have a number of posts that are in the works for this blog, but trouble is I cannot find time to finish them. Hope they don't evaporate, but we shall see. Got a new part time job, which is going to take more time out of my hide. Also started a new blog in response to decision to hold off on starting RX for Urso for a few months. Want to try something else before I start shelling out for

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1147467020272603432006-05-12T15:25:00.000-05:002006-05-12T15:50:20.723-05:00

I just got a somewhat alarmed email from my friend who heard from another friend that my liver is messed up and that I might need a new one. She offered me part of hers if Mike or my dad are not able to supply some, so I thought I better put this little fire out before it gets completely out of hand!Tim and I went and talked to another gastroenterologist about the results of the biopsy and

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1146524465962870072006-05-01T17:52:00.000-05:002006-05-01T18:01:05.963-05:00

So much for not discussing biopsy results over the phone!The gastroenterologist called me last week to give the the news that yes, I have PBC. This was confirmed by the biopsy. Also that I am at stage 2-3, which means between stages 2 and 3 out of 4. 4 is when you get a liver transplant if you can find a liver. I was surprised that the disease is so far along, but after a few days of thinking

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1145476841662531382006-04-19T14:58:00.000-05:002006-04-19T17:09:48.790-05:00

Now a few words about this day, my liver biopsy day. Closest thing to a day at the spa I‘ve had in a long time. Sad, but true.Got up, took a bath, got dressed and Rebecca came to drive me to the hospital. Tim had to get all three kids ready and to their respective school-care spots so I figured someone else should take me since the appointment time was 8:30. After I checked in, I sat down to

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1144385612433236872006-04-06T23:41:00.000-05:002006-04-06T23:53:32.470-05:00

What a day. Actually not a bad day, just busy. constant motion for me and kids: Supertarget to get supplies for Frank's birthday party. Hot dogs, tons of fruit for fruit salad, which is Frankie's favorite food. Ordered spiderman cake that Frank picked out, with SM and a many armed creature fighting on top of it. "I want the fighting one", he kept saying to me. He wouldn't go for my attempt

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1144300251944949152006-04-06T00:00:00.000-05:002006-04-06T00:10:51.956-05:00

Went in to talk to gastro MD on Thursday. I have never been in a more luxurious doctors office as this non corporate owned group of MDs I saw. Soft lighting on bamboo hued walls, shiny new hardwood floors in blond, bright color. Arty metal sculptures around front desk. Classy staff with nicely shaped haircuts, scheduler staff with huge offices all to themselves. ( not like the row of 3

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1143598873778037132006-03-28T20:17:00.000-06:002006-03-28T20:21:13.790-06:00

Van Morrison is coming to town, I think April 22. Tim will not go with me, and I don't have the brainpower to figure out who else to ask. If anybody I know who reads this blog would like to go with me, please make contact! I want to see VM, but going alone to a big concert seems depressing.

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1143424212296355952006-03-26T19:49:00.000-06:002006-03-26T19:57:11.326-06:00

Kate,My name is Janet and I live near Chattanooga, TN. I am 44, and found your blog regarding your Mom's Primary Biliary Cirhossis. I was diagnosed with PBC after a biopsy in January. I'm glad to hear that you are following up with a Gastro Dr. My Mom also had PBC. The Mayo clinic is doing a study to try to find the link that is allowing this disease to pass so clearly from Mothers to daughters.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1143356776893228652006-03-26T00:48:00.000-06:002006-03-26T01:06:16.916-06:00

Many people I know were born in '66, including Tim and I. Today is Maureen C.'s 40th birthday, and she is one of my first '66 born friends to cross the finish line into middle age. Or peri-menopause, as I recently read we are about to move into!Yikes-o-rama!Also my friend Carmen turned 40 just 3 days ago. I hope she had a good one, and that she did something fun to celebrate. And I'm

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1142143963266943592006-03-11T23:36:00.000-06:002006-03-12T00:16:20.160-06:00

I spent the majority of the week taking care of flu stricken children. Days and nights and days and nights of feverish small people writhing around on the couch or the bed or the bathroom floor, threatening that the throw up was going to come out right now. Luckily (?), it never did. After 3-4 days of this misery, the gunky hacking coughs came on. Maggie finally went back to school on

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1141170508764046962006-02-28T17:38:00.000-06:002006-02-28T17:58:11.510-06:00

A few weeks ago I got a phone call that took me by surprise. It was the life insurance company that we had applied for coverage through. The insurance rep. started out with the good news: Tim’s application was approved and he would be receiving a policy in a few days. My application, on the other hand, was not being approved by the underwriters, and I would receive a refund of my application fee!

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1140410652781276432006-02-19T22:11:00.000-06:002006-02-20T08:24:45.640-06:00

Note: This was written early this year, when I got to spend an afternoon all by myself. Hello. I’m at the library. what do I want to say? make a list of projects to work on ?character sketches? screenwriting for dummies. do I count as a “dummy”? bread crumb project. most important. I started something on it and I’m not sure where I filed it or if it filed it. I think I did. Suggestion?” start

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1140408639722562912006-02-19T22:02:00.000-06:002006-02-19T22:10:39.736-06:00

I've can spend a lot of time trying to get my words "just right". I've written a lot over the past couple of months, but posted very little. I'm going to try to loosen up and post more. Some day, I trust, I will have time to craft and re-craft every word and sentence until I feel it is all "just right" to me. Right now my life won't let me do that.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1139241614785221662006-02-06T09:48:00.000-06:002006-02-06T10:08:58.170-06:00

7 years ago today Tim and I got married. We celebrated on Sunday by having my dad and Susie come over to babysit while we went to the Y and to the Broiler. Just to prove that we were celebrating, we did NOT order the usual. It's not exactly a romantic weekend away, but it was definitely enjoyable!I've been using About.com to study German lately, and I just came across a list of criteria for a

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1139064712910332662006-02-04T08:47:00.000-06:002006-02-04T08:51:52.920-06:00

My mom died one year ago today. Despite how much has happened in our lives over the past year, I cannot believe we are already at this point. Isn't something special supposed to happen today? Some incredible letting go and moving on? I'll check in again about this tomorrow.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1138644075385685772006-01-30T11:55:00.000-06:002006-01-30T12:08:29.356-06:00

Maggie and I went out to a Thai restaurant the other night to celebrate a family birthday. After the meal we got fortune cookies, and Maggie asked me to read hers:Your sparkling eyes give a healing light to those you meet. It often happens that when I am thinking something, Maggie will say it. This was one of those times. "Grandma Carol should have that fortune!" she said, and as usual,

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1138069757963871542006-01-23T20:27:00.000-06:002006-01-23T20:29:17.980-06:00

and tears were streaming down my face when I got to the end. I'm pretty sure he had the same reaction.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1138038460976661002006-01-23T11:42:00.000-06:002006-01-23T11:47:40.993-06:00

My friend Maureen, who lives in Dubai, sent me an email telling me that she found Tim in some Skype directory. This meant that Tim could supposedly make international phone calls on his computer for free. I of course assumed that she must have found information about a different Tim McGuire, certainly not my Tim, because I'd never even heard of such a thing! Well, she had the right Tim, so

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1137370280971223982006-01-21T20:46:00.000-06:002006-01-22T09:52:35.613-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about depression, which I see as a good sign! I've been on the new drug, Effexor, since 11-20-05, which means it's been in my system long enough to be working. Also phased out drug #1, fluoxetine, with 1/8 having been my last day after tapering for 2 weeks. I will see psych. M.D. #3 on Monday to discuss how things are going with this drug at my current

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1137353531929475132006-01-15T13:31:00.000-06:002006-01-15T13:53:41.810-06:00

Maggie is only 6.5, but here was our conversation when she slipped into bed with me this morning. Maggs: I wish I could get what I really wanted for Christmas.Me: What did you really want?Maggs: To be magic. Me: What would you want to do with magic?Maggs: I would make myself a prettier girl. I would change my nose.Me: Really? What don't you like about your nose?Maggs: (looking down) Too

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1137135029834680152006-01-13T00:49:00.000-06:002006-01-13T00:50:29.870-06:00

I just spent WAY too much time reading blogs of people I don't even know (thanks, Steve), so I'm ready to dish some free advice to anyone out there reading this. IF you are sitting hunched over your computer with bloodshot eyes and a wry neck, wondering where you should stumble-surf to next and not really caring what time it is: This is no way to live! Your time is worth more than this.

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1136395504123237462006-01-04T11:21:00.000-06:002006-01-04T18:38:06.370-06:00

When I was small I loved looking at old photos of my mom. I could spend hours poring over family albums with my grandma, asking questions about what our family was like before I was in it. My mom was a dark-haired, porcelain-skinned beauty, and I hoped to look like her some day. The old black and whites could not dim the light behind her eyes. She loved to play with her two brothers and their

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1136392677045506172006-01-04T10:31:00.000-06:002006-01-04T10:41:23.313-06:00

I ran across this quote from Meta Commerse today, and it speaks to what I was touching on in my last post. I thought that the moms and daughters who read this blog might find something interesting in it. It also reminded me of my mom's relationship with her mother.Mothers and daughters have a special dynamic. The base of its uniqueness is a generational struggle for self being desperately

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1136051568082195022005-12-31T11:47:00.000-06:002005-12-31T11:56:09.503-06:00

In the last month I wrote one blog post, and never quite posted it. Here it is, and thank Goddess that the holidays and their time consuming nonsense are over! My celebration starts when we get back to the regular and the mundane. Just two more days!Hello. It’s been a while. I’ve been busy.Here is a short list of what I’ve been doing:trying to keep up with the constant flow of mucous from

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1135892150018885772005-12-29T15:34:00.000-06:002005-12-29T15:39:41.186-06:00

Something I read today that inspired me to want to spend more time on blogging. Let's see if it sticks.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1135644010197728572005-12-26T18:38:00.000-06:002005-12-26T18:45:56.376-06:00

we got cleaned up to take a picture. And we remember to bring the camera, although it wasn't charged. Luckily someone else had one, so our efforts were not wasted. The dress Maggie is wearing is one that my aunt Mary made for me in 1973.

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1133799687899191282005-12-05T10:12:00.000-06:002005-12-05T10:28:44.146-06:00

Tim and I are barely functional after spending WAY too many hours awake with our naughty baby. She is the most stubborn child, and she's always got to be pushing the envelope. Singing the ABC song at the top of her lungs at 3 a.m. just to challenge the family power structure! Where did she come from? And how is it that she still looks cute to us in the morning? I read this note from Maggie's

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1133206575152213662005-11-28T13:20:00.000-06:002005-11-28T13:36:20.870-06:00

Saturday night I finished my first week on Effexor XR 75 mg. Now I'm bumped up to 150 mg, as this drug needs to start out low and move up after 1 week. how do I feel? A little zingy in my head sometimes, like tingly and cool around my whole scalp. I like it. had a few headaches this week, which are not typical for me. Also told Tim yesterday that I think the drugs might be working

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1132592933863979832005-11-21T11:04:00.000-06:002005-11-21T11:08:53.876-06:00

Today is day 1 of Effexor. I took it last night before bed because I read that the drug can cause drowsiness. Now I will have something real to talk about when I see the M.D. on December 1! Stay tuned for side effect advisories. I'm sure they will be fascinating.

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1132281630166235312005-11-17T20:14:00.000-06:002005-11-17T20:40:30.243-06:00

I'm so bored and sick of this. I did everything "right" today, and still here I am in a shit hole. God damn it. I tried to accomplish a task. I wanted to put plastic up on the big windows at the back of the kitchen, to keep the cold air out. It is frigid here today, and snow is making it's first nasty appearance of the season. Maureen was no help to me, with her whining and crying and "gimme

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1132170885528758932005-11-16T13:45:00.000-06:002005-11-16T13:54:45.530-06:00

A ton of people are finding this blog when they do a search for the song I blogged about, "Calling All Angels". My brother actually sent me a copy of the CD that my mom was listening to during her last weeks of life. It arrived here on my mom's birthday, but I didn't start listening to it until a few days ago. It's quite lovely music, and I believe I feel my mom's presence when I listen to her

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1132156136611712672005-11-16T09:36:00.000-06:002005-11-16T09:55:13.400-06:00

Last St. Patrick's day my brother flew here and then drove down to my grandma's house to pack up some of my mom's stuff. I was supposed to go with him, but I was incapacitated. And anyway, it was his turn to manage the loopy family dynamics since I got to do most of it before my mom died. Mike drove down with my dad, who then drove back here with a pickup truck full of boxes. Because I knew

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1131644479706183872005-11-10T11:35:00.000-06:002005-11-10T11:41:19.716-06:00

My friend Jody's daughter, Cassandra, is in kindergarten at the Friend's School. Tomorrow they are celebrating Grandparent's Day. None of Cassie's grandparents can make it (two of them live in Chile), so Jody asked Cassandra if there is anyone else she would like to invite. Cassie decided that she would like my friend Rebecca and I to be her fill-in grandparents! What an unexpected honor!

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1131563571052650842005-11-09T12:18:00.000-06:002005-11-09T13:12:51.140-06:00

Mo and F and I walked to our polling place yesterday with neighbor Mary, who vouched for me so that I could vote. Mary has lived in the neighborhood for decades, as many of the people around here have also. Mary knows everyone, she is very energetic, and she used to edit the neighborhood newspaper. She now writes the obituaries for the paper, as the previous long time obit writer recently

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1131467187514334952005-11-08T10:23:00.000-06:002005-11-08T10:29:06.636-06:00

I don't routinely read this blog, but Matt J. sent the link to me. I know where RLP is coming from because I have been there, knowing the difference between my depressed self and my higher functioning self. Thanks to Matt for reminding me that I am capable of knowing the difference!

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1131384496427927592005-11-07T11:23:00.000-06:002005-11-07T11:28:16.446-06:00

I took Maureen to the new 24 hour CVS last night to get some baby sudafed. First, there was no children's sudafed on the shelf, so I had to go to the pharmacy and ask. They keep the hard stuff behind the counter as an effort to control meth lab fun seekers. I guess it's been a while since I bought "nose medicine", because until last night I have never had to give my name and address and

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1131336155049592802005-11-06T21:58:00.000-06:002005-11-06T22:02:35.063-06:00

Lord, help me! Mother of God, pray for me. I was getting out of my car one evening when I thought I detected the scent of incense. It must have been someone having an after dinner fire in a nearby home, but it really got me going. It reminded me of taking Maggie to 9:30 mass when she was an infant. For several days afterward I would enjoy the rosey smell of incense in her sweet baby hair

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130817943248478062005-10-31T22:03:00.000-06:002005-10-31T22:19:31.230-06:00

asd? I'm trying to get to it, but cannot because apparently my mac osx won't take me to any website that starts with "news", or to a newsgroup. I guess I don't know what this means. Did learn a new term from a site called "users guide to alt.support.depression":(the) PitI could wax eloquent on this, except when I'm in it! It's a name for an intense depressive episode which is usually of

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130771471020269312005-10-31T09:09:00.000-06:002005-10-31T09:11:11.040-06:00

our old internet service provider doesn't extend to our new house, so I have a new email. Here it is:katymckate@mac.com

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130522350679155522005-10-28T12:40:00.000-05:002005-10-28T12:59:10.790-05:00

I realize it may be perplexing to some, and repugnant to others to see me let my bloody insides hang out all over this blog. here are a few reasons why I do it, and why I think it's important.1. I'm standing in solidarity with my brothers and sisters who know the pain of depression. I intend to get through this, and I want to show that it is possible. I also hope that I am giving a voice of

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130521176156547422005-10-28T11:58:00.000-05:002005-10-28T12:39:36.216-05:00

I want to write more, mostly because it seems to be healing for me. Taking the time to be alone and think and put things down in black and white does my soul so much good. Especially at a time when I'm not spiritually or emotionally balanced. This is a hard time of life for me, and I need to make the best choices I can to keep myself from being sucked into the black hole of depression. But,

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130514036433986732005-10-28T10:25:00.000-05:002005-10-28T10:40:36.500-05:00

Today is my last Friday having Frank and Mo in childcare, so I've decided to live it up. I'm at the Broiler, a place of familiarity and comfort. I've known this place for almost 20 years, and it feels like home when my real home is in transition. Over the past 6 months, since I've had my kids in childcare, I've enjoyed a few Friday morning Spartan Spinach omelettes. Fresh spinach, fresh

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130209478871183202005-10-25T00:01:00.000-05:002005-10-24T22:04:38.883-05:00

My favorite is the description for "Ordinary People".Accidental Tourist: Tragic introverted/schizoid travel writer fights change after the death of his son, pulled into life by a spunky extroverted galAmelie: Introverted French gal quietly and cleverly pulls strings from behind the scenes of those around her and captivates an introverted guyAnnie Hall: A glimpse into the interior world of two

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1130173563603538812005-10-24T11:56:00.000-05:002005-10-24T22:08:25.090-05:00

A reader told me over the weekend that he thought I was closing down this blog because I started another one. No! This one is good for a while, at least until the anniversary of my mom's passing on which will be February. I also told my reader that I feel a little sick of this blog, it's heaviness and sadness. But the heaviness and sadness are real and appropriate to this time in my life, so

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1129563843030443262005-10-17T10:40:00.000-05:002005-10-17T10:44:03.043-05:00

From Sojourner MagazineDear Kate,Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina exposed the crisis of poverty in America, Congress will debate as early as Wednesday how much money should be cut from the budgets of health care, nutrition assistance, and other vital services for poor and working families. That's right, they will cut funds - and the question is by how much. Perhaps equally astonishing, they

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1129301875753388292005-10-14T09:55:00.000-05:002005-10-14T09:57:55.760-05:00

Enough of this dismal view. Let's try something else.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1129086472256244182005-10-11T22:02:00.000-05:002005-10-11T22:07:52.263-05:00

If my mom were alive, today would be her 65th birthday. It has also been a year now since I started this blog. This anniversary has helped me decide that my blog can not go on for ever. February 4, 2006 will be the end of katesandwiched. It seems like a long time from now, but a day I'm looking forward to getting past.

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1128959779942434202005-10-10T10:30:00.000-05:002005-10-11T18:06:19.073-05:00

I got the movie "the Upside of Anger" from Netflix. Saturday night I watched it, and also the extra stuff about the movie that's on the DVD. One piece of information from the DVD has stayed with me this weekend. Joan Allen is being interviewed, and she plays the main character in the movie. She is the alcoholic mother of 4 young women, all living in a fancy suburb of Detroit. They all

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1128957819797373742005-10-10T10:22:00.000-05:002005-10-10T10:23:39.806-05:00

I received this link in an email from Sojourners.

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1128540976998972542005-10-05T14:09:00.000-05:002005-10-05T22:50:20.123-05:00

It's been a while. I don't love writing in this space, because it is so small to look at while I am typing. But the thought of creating a word document and then transferring it over to this blog seems like SUCH a LOT of WORK. Like everything seems right now. So much work. So here I am, alone in the new house. It is almost 11 a.m., and I just got home from taking Maureen to daycare We were

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1128544480771474772005-10-01T15:33:00.000-05:002005-10-05T22:51:14.130-05:00

Am I in the midst of another round of depression? Yes, I believe I am. The past two weeks have been really hard, and stress has tried to have its way with me. The biggest stress has been self- imposed, as I struggle to forgive myself for being so flawed. Last fall while I was not parenting at peak performance, my two oldest children were hurt by a neighbor boy. The pot got churned up

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1127795600806627702005-09-26T23:23:00.000-05:002005-09-26T23:33:20.816-05:00

Here is a story that’s given me comfort this week, at a time when I really need it.My mom is wearing a dark blue pantsuit, teasing up her black hair with a comb. She’s in front of the bathroom mirror, getting ready for a job interview. I’m confused. If she’s going to get a new nurse job, why isn’t she wearing her uniform? She always looks so pretty when she leaves for work in her straight

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1127069763460170782005-09-18T13:31:00.000-05:002005-09-18T14:02:10.256-05:00

My mom was a serious angel-o-holic. Anything that had to do with angels was irresistable to her. It was so extreme that her children could not resist making fun of her for it. When I visited her in the weeks before she died, my mom was always sitting in a blue lazy boy in grandma's living room, listening to the same CD. It was called "Calling all Angels", and I watched it bring her much joy

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1126756379427906162005-09-14T22:50:00.000-05:002005-09-14T22:52:59.433-05:00

Today whenever I post something on my blog, I immediately start receiving comment spam. (See comment about Britney Spears in my last post!) Why does this happen, and how can I stop it?

Katenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1126755735427781102005-09-14T22:44:00.000-05:002005-09-14T22:45:02.823-05:00

Tim's friend Matt posted this today, and it was really helpful for me to read. Very thoughtful and well expressed, and such an important topic.

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1125976752890359712005-09-14T11:35:00.000-05:002005-09-14T22:44:26.230-05:00

Today is my little brother’s birthday. He is 37. My dad sent me an email just now, reminding me of this. I also realized that today is Mike’s first birthday without a living mother.During the time that our mom was dying, I felt very protective of Mike. It just seemed wrong that he should lose his mother at such an early age. It wasn’t right that he would feel the loneliness of not having a

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1126564196381183802005-09-12T17:18:00.000-05:002005-09-12T17:50:04.896-05:00

Last week was busy and stressful, and there were moment when I wondered if I might lose my balance. Once you’ve been incapacitated by depression, it is impossible to not fear it happening again. At this point I can say “so far, so good”. That is good news for everyone in my household.Here is a short list of the stressors our family is feeling. No need to point out that taking on big life

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1126322563649081762005-09-09T22:19:00.000-05:002005-09-09T22:22:43.656-05:00

The Katrina Pledge: A commitment to build a new AmericaSpeak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute (Proverbs 31:8). Full Petition Text:The waters of Hurricane Katrina have revealed fault lines of race and class in our nation, washing away our national denial about the large number of Americans who live in poverty and about its disproportionate impact on people of

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1126105058878964982005-09-07T09:53:00.000-05:002005-09-07T10:01:13.720-05:00

I watched the "Daily Show" last night for the first time in weeks. Its the first time I've actually seen Jon Stewart let anger slip into his act. He's so good natured, but how can you not be furious when you hear Bush's idiotic comments about New Orleans? Anyone who voted for Bush should hate themselves right now. Here's another timely commentary:Wake of the FloodBy William Rivers Pittt r u

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1125502038694273082005-08-31T10:16:00.000-05:002005-08-31T10:27:18.700-05:00

I'm writing an article about healthy German eating, and I came across these quotes. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I deeply respect those who choose to be. Unless they judge me for *not* being vegetarian. Then my respect is sadly diminished. Anyway, here they are:"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet

Katenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1124852219755479082005-08-23T21:53:00.000-05:002005-08-23T21:59:54.706-05:00

Ted emailed me:Did you get out some of that writing about yourmother? Shortly after my grandma died my mom had a similar impulse and actually had all thekids and grandkids write up a few memories that shecollected into a book. Come to think of it, though,I'm not sure if mom herself contributed anything...??? my response:Yeah, I'm working on it. I'm finding that the more I relate to the "

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1124534561899213072005-08-20T05:41:00.000-05:002005-08-20T05:43:58.436-05:00

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.Albert Einstein

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1124166187601936692005-08-15T23:11:00.000-05:002005-08-15T23:48:10.846-05:00

In mid May, Katy asked me some blogger to blogger questions. I wrote responses to the easy ones, but the questions about my mom were too hard. I had thoughts about what I wanted to write, but it was too soon and they were too painful. It has now been six months since my mom died, and I feel like I am in a different place than I was even 2 weeks ago. I think about my mom a lot, and often feel

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1123581214889171662005-08-09T04:27:00.000-05:002005-08-09T04:56:42.876-05:00

When I was pregnant with Maureen I was awake alot around 3-5 a.m. I would often get up and watch a netflix movie. Two that I remember from that time were something where Calista Flockhart played a lesbian psychic. It wasn't a bad movie. The other is an Iranian film about an afghani refugee girl who's family dresses her up as a boy so she can go to work at a construction site. The father in

Katenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1123442309965389362005-08-08T13:53:00.000-05:002005-08-09T05:15:38.316-05:00

Since our house has been on the market we have had to get into the practice of keeping our house more orderly and clean. Not an easy feat with this gang, but we keep trying. Last weekend I got the chance to enjoy some time in our current house. I got to spend numerous hours alone in it, attending to its needs. Actually, attending to my needs is more like it: listening to music, not talking to

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1122694361967441022005-07-30T14:29:00.000-05:002005-07-30T15:20:19.143-05:00

It would be a great relief if someone would PLEASE come buy our house. And soon! But, as Tim's step-mom Ellen says, these things tend to work themselves out in the eleventh hour. Ellen is a real estate agent, so I'm going with what she says. I've also made a commitment to not let this house business get the best of me. In the scheme of my life and everything that has happened in the past year

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1121628329985538792005-07-17T14:21:00.000-05:002005-07-17T14:28:34.416-05:00

I stumbled across this wise sermon while searching for information about Harriet Doerr. Find a quiet corner and take a few moments to read. It's worth it.

Katenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1121626876647666652005-07-17T14:00:00.000-05:002005-07-17T14:01:18.096-05:00

"Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none". --William Shakespeare

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1121226593113243082005-07-12T22:19:00.000-05:002005-07-12T22:49:53.123-05:00

10. "What Women Want"-Not the best movie I've ever seen, but sometimes entertaining. Mel Gibson isn't even that hard to put up with, and the blond is tolerable too. I think I saw this movie about 3 times. Twice during my March period in the basement, and once a few weeks ago. There were ads on all the time for it, and they were very enticing. Also I found out that the woman who wrote "

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119044656714434882005-07-11T22:35:00.000-05:002005-07-11T22:35:52.206-05:00

In order of preference1. Six Feet Under2. Something's Gotta Give 3. Sommersby4. Designed to Sell5. Entourage6. Bull Durham 7. A League of Their Own 8. Crank Yankers 9. Dawson's Creek 10. What Women Want

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1121100205404829172005-07-11T11:26:00.000-05:002005-07-11T19:12:50.663-05:00

Hello. This is my first effort at writing morning pages on my blog. I haven’t tried writing morning pages for years, and I never tried it on a computer. Certainly not on this fabulous Mac of mine because I didn’t own it back then. I’m sitting in the coffee shop, and just dropped off the kids at Katy’s and baby at daycare. Katy will drop off the kids here for lunch in about a half an hour, so I’m

Katenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1120883746129582682005-07-08T23:34:00.000-05:002005-07-08T23:35:46.130-05:00

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1120488711948201382005-07-04T09:51:00.000-05:002005-07-04T09:52:14.756-05:00

Katenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119540744215940902005-06-23T10:31:00.000-05:002005-06-23T10:32:24.226-05:00

Real friends are those who, when you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel that you've done a permanent job.--Erwin T. Randall

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119209966422679162005-06-19T14:37:00.000-05:002005-06-23T10:33:49.066-05:00

Alan Ball is the creator of “Six Feet Under”, and also wrote "American Beauty"."What grief can do for us is teach us that the ability to feel tremendous pain increases our capacity to feel joy. You can't just have it one way. Life is filled with both. If you really drop your guard, if you fully love something or someone, you'll lose them eventually, or die first.""What's necessary, what's

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119205742247734482005-06-19T13:28:00.000-05:002005-06-19T13:29:02.253-05:00

Faith is a passionate intuition. William Wordsworth

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119162101063669642005-06-19T01:16:00.000-05:002005-06-21T05:32:04.386-05:00

Cindy the therapist asked me last week if I was coming to a place of acceptance. She meant acceptance of the fact that I suffer from depression. The answer, quite frankly, is no. I’m mad about this burden, this waste of my time, this sucking the life out of me. I have things to do, that I want to be doing, and I am not doing them. I want to work and make money. I want to play with my kids.

Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1119021739992468002005-06-17T10:17:00.000-05:002005-06-17T10:22:20.000-05:00

I decided to try qi gong again since it helped me deal with stress while my mom was here. If nothing else, a little deep breathing and quiet movement can't hurt. My goal is to do 20 minutes per day, and I just did my first session with my "Spring Forest Qi Gong Level I" DVD. Another thing that my Mac is good for!Now that I'm finished, I'm very aware of how dark this basement room is. Also

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1118938387726258052005-06-16T10:51:00.000-05:002005-06-16T11:27:32.006-05:00

1. I am not invincible. Young people think that nothing can touch them, and I'm not as young as I used to be. 2. My will is not my greatest asset. I used to think that I could handle anything if I just decided to. My decision that I am no longer vulnerable to depression is not working.3. Biology and genetics really matter. Again, my will does not overcome them.4. Stress has a cost. My

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1118590077309686792005-06-12T10:14:00.000-05:002005-06-12T13:17:34.586-05:00

A few years ago my step-mom Susie gave me an Eleanor Roosevelt quote to think about. "It is none of your business what other people think of you."I went looking for that quote today, but did not find it. Instead I found some others from E.R. that are speaking to me:"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1118554091528156672005-06-12T00:16:00.000-05:002005-06-12T00:28:11.536-05:00

I admitted to myself yesterday that I am depressed again. I assume that the decrease in drug is the problem, so I increased it myself today. Sleeplessness is preferable to the pain of depression. I'm not bothering to call my doctor until Monday, since I will just get the nurseline and they will tell me to increase the drug and call M.D. on Monday. Also left a message for my therapist, but

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1118544545613747242005-06-11T21:48:00.000-05:002005-06-11T21:49:05.620-05:00

Why do I think I need to get Microsoft Office? So I can use Word. Appleworks is too small to see my work clearly. With Word I can just expand the page across my computer screen, and then zoom the text size to 200%. If I can see what I am doing I can just take off writing without distraction. Appleworks is making everything too hard to figure out. I don’t even know if I can zoom the text

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1118186572508437282005-06-07T18:21:00.000-05:002005-06-07T18:22:52.516-05:00

I've been tagged by Katy again. Even though I didn’t finish answering all of her questions from last time! I’m working on that,really.3 names I go by: Katy, Kate, Katze (per my friend Rebecca)3 Screenames I've had: katzke, alberto, ?3 Physical Things I like about myself: my cute feet, my graceful hands, my bust3 Parts of my heritage: German, Irish, Swedish3 Things I'm wearing right now: Tim’s

Katenoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117984255483793002005-06-05T10:00:00.000-05:002005-06-05T10:10:55.490-05:00

While I was in Kentucky Ted suggested that I try writing more for myself. That was why I wanted to have Word on my mac, so that I could write more offline. The word processing programs that are built into this computer are not impressive, but I just found a free trial of iwork in my stack of discs. I installed it, and am now ready for another experiment. What if I take myself into a more

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117727804482312622005-06-02T10:30:00.000-05:002005-06-02T10:56:44.490-05:00

I got to have an audience with my psychiatrist yesterday. Actually it turns out I like her, mostly because she kept me waiting for 20 minutes. And I was 10 minutes late, so it sort worked out just right. Anyway, why do I like that my doctor was late getting to me? Because although she works for the HMO machine and seems to be just another cog in the mental health factory, she did what she

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117725429898143452005-06-02T10:15:00.000-05:002005-06-02T10:17:09.906-05:00

They picked up my computer at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, and I just received this email:Your product has reached our repair center. We will notify you by email when the repair is complete.Check your repair status at http://www.apple.com/support/selfservice/statusApple

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117717558975015652005-06-02T07:59:00.000-05:002005-06-02T08:05:58.996-05:00

A guy came and picked up my Mac yesterday, and it is on it's way to Memphis. I'm wondering if any Mac users know whether Microsoft office for Mac may have caused my problems? Tim's friend Sam said that his machine went kaput after he put on an older version of Office, which is just what I was trying to do when my computer went wacky. Luckily Sam knows computers and was able to save his. Also I

Katenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117463497774484322005-05-30T09:16:00.000-05:002005-05-30T09:31:37.810-05:00

I flew to Nashville on Friday, to attend a surprise birthday party for my aunt Mary. I also got to spend some quality time with my friend Ted, who lives in Bowling Green Ky. Ted, who I will now start calling "my advisor", gave me a copy of Microsoft office for Mac that he got as an educator at WKU. I was tired since I'd been awake since 3:30 a.m., but I dragged myself to the Northwest gate at

Katenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1117043800940555962005-05-25T12:56:00.000-05:002005-05-25T12:56:40.946-05:00

Greetings, Faithful Child Avocates Inspiration: Recently I read a little story about an aged grandma who looked into the eyes of her two young granddaughters, patted their hands and spoke to their father, her son, saying, "You take good care of these two sweet Souls. God lives in your children." Michael Gurian, The Soul of the Child I was reminded of the sacredness of childhood and the

Katenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1116922687267944782005-05-24T02:56:00.000-05:002005-05-24T03:18:07.273-05:00

Insomnia continues to bother me. The trazadone doesn't make me sleepy, just dizzy, so I stopped taking it after talking to my shrink's nurse. I've been relying on Sominex for the past few nights, since that works if I take two. Tonight I took some chinese herbs, however. I got them from the acupuncturist I started seeing a few weeks ago, after I learned that our HMO covers acupunture for

Katenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8590234.post-1116918138923294522005-05-24T01:47:00.000-05:002005-05-24T02:53:16.340-05:00

The little girl from across the alley, who is perfectly fine, came over to play yesterday. She has two older siblings, a sister and a brother, and she is about 5 months younger than Maggie. At first she came over and asked if Maggie could play in her yard, then went to ask her mom if it was okay. Meanwhile Frankie got excited about going, and started talking about what toys he was going to

Katenoreply@blogger.com3