Some questions to ponder.....

  I consider myself a fairly practical person.  I like things to make sense, plain and simple.  I think things should be logical and straightforward.  I believe there is a such thing as truth, and therefor a such thing as right and wrong.  I realize that truth can be hard to recognize, of course, and I suppose we need to try to predict the future to decide what to do today sometimes, like when planning a picnic or a budget.  But somehow it seems like there is so little that is logical in the world today. And I don't want EVERYTHING to make perfect sense, but for the most part...

  I was on youtube, hoping to find some inspiring videos for a great “fortnight for freedom” post.  Granted, I was probably looking in the wrong direction ( I should have started with this one,) starting with Bob Hope’s Zombie Democrat line (I thought maybe I could do something great with the whole zombie apocalypse thing,) but regardless, what I found was discouraging.  Not so much the videos - there were some wise words and all - but the comments!  Is it possible to have a logical discussion anymore, without foul language and making assumptions about people’s opinions?  I suppose when we consider truth to be something we can decide instead of something that just IS, that would be the result.  Ooops!  Maybe I’m making some assumptions now!  The fact is, I consider truth to be something outside of not only myself, but the universe.  As such, it can’t change based on what is going on here in our little country or world.  But I realize that it can be hard to recognize, especially if we aren’t taught to recognize its existence, let alone how to recognize it.  I believe that truth follows the rules of reason and logic, even if it doesn’t always seem to follow the rules of nature.  Now am I wrong?  Am I wrong to want to fight the errors and evils of this world with logic and reason and truth, when everyone else is using emotions and appearances?  Something to ponder.  Here are a few more things to ponder.  They really aren’t necessarily connected, they are just things that I wonder about.

• If we are a nation governed by elected officials, should the government be involved in the training of the next generation of voters, or is that a conflict of interests?
• 
  
• Is the idea of evolution compatible with the idea that all races are equal?  Wouldn’t evolution be grounds to say that some races are inferior to others? 
• 
  
• If I am not allowed to tell you what to do with your body, why are you allowed to use my money to do it?  If I can’t tell you what you have to accept, why are you allowed to tell me what I have to accept?  
• 
  
• Why doesn’t the government have to budget the same way a house or business does, (money in ≥ money out)?  If I start printing money, can I pay my bills with it?  Can I pay my taxes with it?  

What questions do you ponder?  Got any good answers?  Do share!

Home again, home again, jiggity jog...

Wow, what a week!  So much for a nice, quiet, summer!  It's been a fun one, though.  Last week, I had the privilege of chaperoning for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest Girl's Youth Camp in Wisconsin.  It was wonderful - and exhausting.
I went into this experience entirely unsure of what to expect.  Also, I might add, everything my siblings told me to expect was wrong.  I was told (by my siblings) that chaperones got to sleep in the house.  Not true.  I was also told that the mothers and legal-age chaperones got wine after hours.  Also not true.  Actually, the disappointment of the truth in these matters was greatly lessoned by the fact that the chaperones were allowed to use the indoor bathrooms, unlike the poor campers who had to use porta-pottys.  Ah, the simple things in life!
As I said, it was a wonderful week.  Things were a little different this year, or so I understand.  The group of 90 girls was divided into 8 teams, and each team had its own chaperone.  I got the green team, which was pretty much an awesome group of girls.  My biggest regret is that I wasn't able to get to know them all better, as we were very busy with things like olympics and silly olympics and talks, and drying out our tents.
Yes, we got rained on Monday night and Tuesday morning.  Actually, it was more like poured on.  I don't think there was a single dry tent in the place.  I was lucky - only my blankets got wet.  Many girls had there bags soaked, as well as sleeping bags and pillows.  I didn't hear any complaints, though - other than those tempered with laughter.  A couple of wonderful volunteers spend the day Tuesday drying everyone's things out, enabling dry beds by Tuesday night.
Activities of the week included Olympics, with competitions like a soccer relay and tug of war (green won the tug of war!) Silly Olympics, with a sack race,  horseback riding, and a cooking contest.  I did get to help with the cooking contest, and had a blast.  Iron Chef, here I come!  My team, as I said before, was awesome.  We didn't win the cooking contest, but everyone made a good effort.  Next time we'll get it!
The best part of the week was the talks.  Everyday we had Mass in the morning, with a homily, and there was a formation talk after breakfast.  We were constantly reminded of the dignity and importance of women, and how much we can teach the world.  We are all called to be mothers, sometimes spiritually, sometimes physically.
One of the talks was on Our Lady of Guadeloupe.  There is so much symbolism in the image that I never knew about!  For example, did you know that the color of her veil was a color reserved for the Emperor, under pain of death?  Or that the angel below her was one of the Aztec gods?  I would go over all of it, but I think it may be better kept for another blog post :)
One of the greatest gifts of the week, I hope received by all, was the gift of good, true, friendships.  I made new friends, got to see some "old" friends (who I met last month at the Sursum Corda camp,) and was blessed to be able to reconnect with a very old friend, whom I had not seen in about six years.  I made some young friends, and some older friends, and the best part is knowing that these are people who will pray for me, (and who I will pray for,) and who I will hopefully meet again - if not here, than in heaven.
This is a prayer that one of my fellow chaperones shared:

Morning Prayer

Grant, O Lord, that none may love Thee less this day because of me;

That never one word or act of mine may turn one soul from Thee;

And ever daring yet one more grace would I implore: 

That many souls this day, because of me, may love Thee more. Amen

National Ice Cream Day!

  I just found out that today is National Ice Cream Day!  So I have decided to take a break from chronicling my travels to post a couple of our favorite ice cream recipes, and to finally post a review on our AWESOME ice cream maker.
  Since the birth of our sweet little heifer, Eulalia, we have had lots of milk and cream to enjoy.  And what better treat to make with cream than ice cream?  Especially in this soupy weather we're having right now.  It's 91º outside, but with the humidity it feels like 105º!
  We bought our ice cream maker just before Easter, and absolutely LOVE it.  It is a Cuisinart ICE-30BC, and makes about 2 qts. of ice cream per batch.  We also bought an extra freeze bowl, so we can make more than one batch of ice cream at a time.

Chocolate Ice Cream
  The book that came with the ice cream maker has some really great recipes, including this super simple chocolate ice cream.  I have been looking for YEARS to find a chocolate ice cream recipe that didn't taste bland or burnt.  This is it.  

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. vanilla

Mix cocoa powder, sugars, and salt until well combined (no cocoa lumps.)  Add milk, cream, and vanilla.  Freeze in ice cream maker 25-35 minutes.  Ripen 2 hours in freezer, if desired (keeps it from melting so fast.)


Surprise Sandwich Ice Cream
For those a little more adventurous, and who love peanut butter as much as I do, there is this recipe.  You can leave out the marshmallows and chocolate, and just have peanut butter ice cream, but what's the fun in that?  The name comes from the yummy "Surprise sandwiches" my mom used to make when I was little.  She would take and spread peanut butter on bread, sprinkle it with chocolate chips and marshmallows, and put the sandwich in the oven until the marshmallows toasted.  Yum!  I recommend letting this recipe freeze a couple of days to let the marshmallows soften.  Just make sure you take it out about 15 minutes before serving to make it easier to scoop!


Ice Cream:
2 c. heavy cream
2 c. milk
1 c. white sugar
1/2 T. vanilla
dash of salt
1 c. creamy peanut butter

Additional ingredients:
1 1/12 c. mini marshmallows
Chocolate Swirl (recipe below)

Mix cream, milk, and sugar until sugar dissolves.  In a separate bowl, mix vanilla, salt, and peanut butter.  Add cream mixture into peanut butter a little at a time, until well combined (or use an electric mixer.)  Freeze in ice cream maker for about 25 minutes, or until done. Add additional ingredients and allow ice cream maker to mix them for a couple of minutes to combine.

Chocolate swirl:
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 regular size hershey's milk chocolate bar
1/4 c. cream
dash of salt

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates without stirring until they are shiny.  Stir and add cream and salt.  Drop by tablespoons full when ice cream is done, but while ice cream maker is still running.  Don't over mix!

P.S.
The Chocolate Swirl tastes very much like the chocolate in moose tracks ice cream :)

Sursum Corda young Adults Camp - Part Two

Holy Hill.

The second part of our journey was a trip to The Shrine of Our Lady, Help of Christians on Holy Hill, about a half-hour north east of Milwaukee.  I have wanted to return to Holy Hill since my last visit, about nine years ago.  I was with a church group, and didn’t have half the time I would have liked, then.  This trip we STILL didn’t have enough time, but I think we got to see much more than before.  

  If you ever get the chance to visit Holy Hill, jump at it.  It is gorgeous.  There is so much natural beauty in the area, and the craftsmanship throughout the Shrine is so beautiful, I cannot describe it.  It lifts the mind to God and to Heaven.  We cannot imagine the splendors of heaven in our ordinary surroundings.  In these extraordinary surroundings, we see enough of a glimmer of that splendor to realize just how amazing it must be.  I could do a full post on each section of the shrine, but there are other things I want to get to, as far as the weekend goes.  Perhaps another time.  For now, here are the highlights.

 I love the statues in the St. Therese chapel.  They are done in white, with gold trim, and the detail is magnificent on each.  Note the mirroring pieces of marble on the high alter, with the (I think) inlayed mosaic flowers.  There were so many mosaics EVERYWHERE we went!  It was so neat to see the detail in them!

  After the St. Therese chapel, we climbed the 170-some stairs to the tower.  Talk about a long way up!  The view was definitely worth it, but I admit I was shaking by the time we got back down again.  Who needs roller coasters with a thrill like that?

    Our next stop was the main church.  What little breath I had left after our climb was taken away by the beauty of it.  The mosaic above the high alter is unbelievable, and strips of marble radiate from it like heavenly rays.

  This technique is mirrored in the side chapel, where Our Lady, Help of Christians is being crowned.  It is in this chapel that I light my candles.  

  

We were only able to see one of the Stations of the Cross, due to our limited time.  I hope I will be able to go back someday soon to make the full half-mile journey.  

  Our last stop was the Lourdes Grotto.  Of the three grottos we saw, this was the largest.  Holy water runs down the face of the rock and into a pool, and there are spigots on each side to fill holy water bottles.  

  This is just a small part of Holy Hill (we took over 200 pictures!)  Everyone says to come back in the fall, when the leaves are changing.  I recommend allowing far more than two or three hours to really enjoy it - and be sure to bring your camera!   

Sursum Corda Young Adults Camp - Part One

Yes, I survived the weekend - even the driving.  It was glorious.  We even had perfect weather.
Between my sister and I, we took LOTS of pictures - 1161, to be exact.  Of course, not all of them turned out, but I'm sure I can find a few to post ;).

Our journey started with a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, just outside of Green Bay, WI.  It is the site of a Marian apparition in 1859, which has been recently approved by the Church - the only approved site in the United States.

Mary asked Adele to teach the children "their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments." Adele started a school and a chapel. 

  The candles were in the crypt below the chapel, built on the site of the apparitions.

There was also this beautiful pieta statue.  If you look closely, you can see crutches in the background, from those who have had favors granted.











As promised, I lit a candle for my family, friends, and readers.

We happened to be visiting on the feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, making these statues in the main chapel even more meaningful...and a bit of a surprise!

The main alter has a beautiful statue of Mary and the Child Jesus.  On one side of the chapel there is a display with a statue given to Sr. Adele for processions (and still used today!) and two reliquaries.  One (center) contains wood from the trees Mary appeared on, and the other (right) a piece of the Blessed Virgin's veil.

Outside, they have a field with the Stations of the Cross in the center, and the mysteries of the rosary around the outside.  I really liked the way they did the rosary.  There were five banners, and on one side would be the first mysteries (for example,) and the other side had the fifth, so it didn't matter which side you started on.  Between the mysteries there were a couple of shrines and benches to stop and pray, such as this small grotto.

Another beautiful little spot was this Fatima shrine.  The statues are just gorgeous!

So concludes the first stop on our journey.  We had to drive a few hours south to our hotel, and we did a little shopping for some lavender lotion.  The mosquitos were very healthy - and hungry - in Wisconsin!  I also bought some awesome sandals :)

Avonlea Blues

Sigh. I fear that modern clothing has forever been spoiled for me.  My wardrobe seems dull and unattractive, and what is in the stores appears even worse, to my spoiled eyes.  I recently watched the "Anne of Green Gables" movies, and clothing will never appear the same again.
Do you realize that what we pass as "clothes" today, would look like indecent rags back then?  Oh, I love my jeans, I admit, and I would doubtless roast to death in what they used to wear all summer...but everything was so elegant and beautiful, and just plain smart!  Well, not everything - but the possibilities were there.  Nowadays, if you try to look like a lady, you tend to be horribly out of place!  And trying to find modest clothes that don't make you look 60?  Next to impossible!
 I suppose it's been the same in every age - that struggle between modesty and fashion.  It seems especially difficult today, when it isn't a bit of ankle that is showing - it is something else altogether.  I wonder if we are wrong now to show our ankles- I know it would have been wrong then, because it wasn't done.  Some say we become accustomed to styles, that what was immodest at one point, isn't at another.  Actually, this argument makes sense, because that is how it started with Adam and Eve.  It was their thoughts that made their lack of clothing immodest, and so it is today.  Unfortunately, modesty and purity are not valued today as they once were.  How far must we go to prevent impure thoughts in ourselves and others?  Do we need to go back to floor length skirts, long sleeves, and high collars?  Maybe eventually. For the record, the best sunblock is clothing.  My policy for modest clothing is fairly simple - short sleeves, necklines that don't go lower than a couple of inches below the collar bone, skirt or pants at least to the knee, and nothing too tight.  Some, I know, will disagree with me, but these are my policies.
I admit, my size probably has something to do with it my clothes shopping problems.  As Dianna Barry would say, I shall probably always be something of a dumpling - a fact that only really bothers me when I'm trying to find something decent to buy.  It also doesn't help that I HATE shopping when I actually have to find something.  If I'm just browsing for the fun of it, I'll find lots of things I love, and generally at magnificent prices.  But the moment I actually have a deadline and a list -- POOF!  The clothes and low prices disappear into the wind.  I suppose if I convinced myself that I don't NEED anything new, that it would just be nice, I might find something - but I still have to fight with today's fashions.
 
Maybe it's because I don't have my own style, or rather that I'm not sure of it right now.  It's always that struggle between the cowgirl and the lady.  Bluejeans and pearls, that's me.  Wishing for a touch of sophistication...but maybe not quite blending into it.

Good-bye, Charlie

    I intended to talk  about the weather today- after all, it isn’t very often that Minnesota has triple digit temperatures, the highest in the country, only to plummet 55 degrees in less than two days.  Unfortunately, my plans were changed this morning, due to the somewhat unexpected death of my dog, Charlie.

    I say somewhat unexpected because I knew two years ago that Charlie wouldn’t have a long life.  He was diagnosed with a heart murmur when he was about nine months old.  The effect it would have was unknown, but it generally meant a shorter lifespan.  He did surprisingly well with it, though.  He never had any of the potential problems like a cough or tiring easily.  Most of the time he could keep up with Dutchess, no problems.  But this morning, it finally hit him.  I noticed he was having trouble breathing, especially when he lay down, and he wasn’t eating.  I called the vet, and they said to bring him in.    I think he wanted to die at home, because he was gone before we got off our road.  It was good in a way - he didn’t suffer much.  He never had to watch everyone running around and wish that he could play too.  He never had problems getting around.  

    It was harder, I think, for my younger siblings, even though Charlie was my dog.  Maybe it’s because I’ve lost pets before.  It’s part of life.  You’re sad, and you miss them, but you learn to be glad for the time you had with them.  I had to loose a lot of pets before learning this lesson.  There were times I swore I would never have another, because it wasn’t worth loosing them.  I know now that it better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all.  These lessons carry through to life, too.  We loose family members and friends, sometimes forever, sometimes just for a while.  Sometimes the loss is expected, and we have time to say good-bye.  Sometimes it comes as a shock.  It can be tempting then, too, to say never again.  It can be hard to try again.  People, like pets, take a lot of work and time.  The more you put in, I suppose, the more you get out of either.  But people, like pets, sometimes don’t care how much you do or don’t do for them- they just love you anyhow, because you are you.  

    I don’t plan on getting another dog right now, because I know I am too busy.  But someday I will have another, and I hope it’s a Newfoundland like Charlie.  Only I will get a female next time, because it will make breeding those awesome Golden Newfie pups a lot easier on the mom.  Until then, I’m sure Charlie will pop up in a few stories and maybe even a poem.  We’ll see.  

    We buried Charlie up on the hill, under a tree, near his daughter, Lucky.  One of my brothers even made him a wooden marker, chiseled in wood.  Maybe we’ll make him another out of cement, too.  He was a big dog, and won’t soon be forgotten.

Favorite Easter Books

Hi All!
It's hard to believe Lent is almost over!  With less than two and a half weeks left, I've started thinking of some of my favorite stories for Passiontide and Easter.  
Benjamin's Box is a sweet story about a young boy witnessing the events leading up to the Resurrection.  We follow Benjamin as he sees Jesus come into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, as he helps prepare the upper room for the Passover, as he sees Christ carry his cross, and finally as he sees the stone that was rolled from the tomb, as well as many steps along the way.  As the story progresses, he collects things from each event and puts him in the box his grandfather gave him.  This is a great story to read to children during Holy Week, because they see the events from the perspective of a child like themselves.  You can buy the Resurrection Eggs to go with this book and there are Easter eggs with each of the items Benjamin collected.  Or, you can turn it into a scavenger hunt and create your own treasure box with items collected around the house.
The one issue I have with this book is that during the Last Supper, it says Jesus said that the bread was LIKE His Body, and the wine LIKE His Blood.  This is easily fixed with a sharpie, though.

The Country Bunny, I admit, does not say anything about the true meaning of Easter.  It is about the Easter Bunny, or rather many Easter Bunnies.  Still, it is one of my favorite stories from my childhood.  It is also an excellent reminder that you can't judge a book by it's cover.  The cover of this sweet tale suggests that it is a "modern feminist tale."  I disagree.  I think it is a very traditional look at motherhood.  The country bunny always dreamed of being one of the official Easter Bunnies, running around the world delivering baskets of eggs to children.  However, she found herself mother of no less than twenty-one children.  When they were very young, she undoubtably spent much time running after them, but as they got older, she trained her children well, until they were able to keep house as well as she could.  So now she has time to go be an Easter bunny once a year.  What's more, her children have kept her young and strong trying to keep up with the all, so she is able to compete with the much bigger bunnies for the job of Easter bunny.  I thing this story highlights the importance of diligence, kindness, perseverance, industry, and knowing that there is a time for everything. And the illustrations are adorable!

Before you say that Easter has nothing to do with Easter Bunnies, I present my defense.  The First Easter Bunny was written by a Catholic Priest, and tells the story of a little bunny who was the first to witness the Resurrection.  I admit, I don't know for sure if I have read this book, but I do recall the story, and I think that by explaining the Easter Bunny to children this way, they are able to make the connection between the colored eggs, the baskets of candy, and the bunny and the Easter Story.  For those who find the Easter bunny a fondly remembered part of childhood, or who have family who insist on sharing the story with your children, this is a great story.

Another story that I remember from my childhood is The Proud Tree. It's the story
 of the tree that became the cross.  Poor Rex, the proudest tree in the forest, is thrilled when two soldiers come to find a cross for a king.  He pictures himself moved to a palace garden, but is cruelly disappointed when he is chopped down instead.  I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story.  Another, similar story is The Tale of the Three Trees.





Finally, a book for adults.  The Spear, by Louis De Wohl, tells the story of the centurian who pierced Christ's side.  This book does an excellent job of weaving together the Easter story, the characters witnessing it, and, perhaps most of all, the historical background, all while building a believable character and a great plot.  I must warn you that there is an act of adultery between the main character and a young woman, but it is essential to the plot.  This book, like all of De Whol's stories, is hard to put down and really brings the events to life.

August Ramblings

Hello!  I am done with the summer semester, and now have three weeks off to catch up with the rest of my life!  Things got a little busier than I originally planned, largely due the the 6 week, 4 credit college algebra class I ended up taking.  The class I wanted to take, Intro to Small Business, was canceled, so I got to do algebra instead.  I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but I did pass.  Which means that I have fulfilled all of my math requirements and any further study can be strictly for pleasure and application! 

I also got the required computer class out of the way, and it did teach me something very important- I prefer Mac to Microsoft.  So now I have a new Mac computer.  Well, it’s a little more (or a lot more) complicated than that, but the fact remains that I am having a blast learning the ins and outs of my new computer and its really cool features.  Like the one that lets me have a conversation with my computer.  True, it primarily consists of knock-knock jokes, but hey, it’s still lots of fun.  

I was also reminded this past week of one of the reasons I decided to dive into this blog in the first place (or tiptoe in, as the case may be.)  I’ve been flipping through the back issues of “Taste of Home Magazine.”  It’s unbelievable how far they have gone-- in the wrong direction.  In addition to adding advertising, it seems like they shortened-- or completely cut out-- some of the best features in the magazine. 

For instance, they used to have column with some of the funny things kids would say about food.  I remember wanting to send it in when my little brothers would call sardines “sour-beans.”  And when one brother was 6 or 7 and he was cracking nuts under our walnut tree in the yard.  I asked him what he was doing and he said “I’m cracking walnuts, and inside are pecans!”  

I think the best thing about TOH was the fact that it was so much like an old fashioned community.  It gave the feeling of sitting in the kitchen with aunts, sisters, and grandmas all telling stories and cooking together.  True, you rarely knew the women (and occasionally men) who were writing and cooking, but you knew people like them, or at least wanted to.  And you knew that the recipes were recipes that weren’t just liked by the more sophisticated palates, but by families.  The new magazine seems to have lost that feel.  Maybe it’s just because it has lost it’s nostalgic feeling, with fancy new layouts.  Maybe it’s the adds every other page trying to get you to try a recipe because it has some brand or other in it instead of because someone’s family thinks it’s the best ever.  Who knows.  I just know I miss the old Taste of Home.  Someday I hope someone can recreate it.  Maybe the magazine itself will-- when they do, I’ll subscribe and buy a few gift subscriptions.  Or maybe I’ll just have to do it myself.  In the mean time, I do plan on putting some of my family’s favorite recipes up here.  Right after I paint my bathroom...