Ash Wednesday

I have never given up anything during the Lenten season. But this year, I am.
Well, I'm trying.
This year I am giving up meats and sweets.
For forty days.
I hope.
You see, it's 6:30 p.m. on Day One of my Forty Day Lenten Fast, and already I find myself bargaining to get to the next meal.
"Here you go ... some almonds until lunch time."
"Here you go ... some fruit to tide you over til supper time."
When of course all I really want is the Double Stuff Oreos that are on sale at Ingles.
I am hopeful that some local seasonal fruits or veggies will be available before Easter, but probably not.
So if you have vegetarian recipes you want to share, please do ... I am not giving up dairy, so feel free to share those recipes, too.

In other news ...

• School is going well for all at our house.
• Our 8-year old is on track for the 3rd 9-weeks Principal's Honor Roll (all A's) and our 4-year old loves preschool more than chocolate (which is a tremendous accomplishment for preschools everywhere).
• I am doing well and can hardly believe May 1st is just 9 1/2 weeks away - Wow! I really need to buckle down on my application for Grad School, as it's due 3/15 (yikes!). 
• We need to re-home two pets. We are re-locating and have 4 pets (two dogs, two cats). Since we are going to be renting for a while we have run into an issue with that number of pets. So, we are looking for a new home for: 
•  Jedi (20-month old male orange tabby cat who has been fixed and is in excellent health). Jedi is a rescue kitty who is the opposite of every stereotype about cats - he is incredibly affectionate and loves to play and snuggle. 
• And for Lucky, a rescue dog who has been with us since Thanksgiving of 2005. We think that he is about 7 years old. He weighs about 45 pounds and prefers women to men. He is also in great health. If you or someone you know might be interested, please comment with your e-mail and I will happily tell you more. We will be asking for veterinary references for any home that either of our pets go to - they are very loved, but we have to be reasonable about where we can live. 

Ummm ... that's all, for now.

Happy Ash Wednesday!