Holiday Eating Tips

My favorite advice at this time of year:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.

Reread tips, then start over. But hurry: January is just around the corner!

Unanswered Prayers

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong;
I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve;
I asked for prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work;
I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome;
I asked for love and God gave me people to help;
I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities;
I received nothing I wanted;
I received everything I needed.

Vigil for Nascent Life

Tonight we attended our Bishop's beautiful prayer vigil for the unborn:

The Holy Father called for Catholics around the world to participate in the vigil for unborn babies, which coincides with first vespers on the eve of the first Sunday of Advent.

Pope Benedict called for the vigil to pray for the unborn and their parents, for an end to abortion and embryo-destroying research, and for recognition of the dignity of all human life. The Vigil for Nascent Human Life will include prayers for overturning laws that permit the destruction of innocent lives and for the healing of those who have acted against innocent human life.

The vigil for the unborn comes at the beginning of Advent, a time of preparation for the birth of Christ.

“The season of preparation for Christmas is an appropriate time for invoking divine protection over every human being called into existence and for thanking God for the gift of life we received from our parents,” the pope said at the end of his Angelus November 14.

An evening prayer vigil will be held November 27 in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Pope Benedict asked that parishes and religious communities, associations, and movements around the world host vigils of their own.

The service was special and powerful. I think it's remarkable that Pope Benedict requested Bishops in all the dioceses worldwide to hold this prayer vigil, this weekend at the beginning of our Church year. I'm expecting great things to result, for sure.

Then I came home and read this article about a dad whose disabled son has radically changed his view of the value of human life. Coincidence? Of course not.

I've spent a lot of energy over the years trying to make sense of my mom's disability from a massive stroke at such an early age, and how such a random tragedy could possibly be part of a bigger plan. I don't imagine for a minute that I could figure out God's plans, of course--but that doesn't stop me from at least trying to piece together some sort of explanation. And with my apologies to St. Thomas Aquinas for such a simplistic take on his teaching, here's what helps me understand how sad things fit into a bigger, glorious, supremely good plan...

God doesn't cause or will sadness, sickness, or disability. When He created the world, those things did not exist; even human death was not in His plan. He made us--then and now--to love Him and to be happy with Him forever. But He also created us to have free will, of course--without it, we'd be more like puppets than the fully alive, fully human, loving beings He wanted us to be.
And we all know what Adam and Eve chose to do with their free will. We've been paying for it ever since--all death, pain, and suffering (even work!) resulted from that tasty apple (pomegranate?). In the instant that Evil entered God's world, He began working to set things back on track. And all of salvation history is the amazing, incredible story of how His plan has unfolded.

In the meantime, we're stuck the pain and suffering of this life on earth. Fortunately, our life is not all that long--just a speck, after all, compared to eternity. And in the midst of our pain and suffering, God is with us as much as we allow Him to be, constantly bringing beauty, love, and blessings from each of our little trials. He loves and blesses us in startling, amazing ways that we would never imagine. It even turns out, as I'm only just barely starting to understand, that our earthly suffering helps play a part in God's plan for the redemption of the world.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" ~ Philippians 4:4

The Holy Father's Vigil for Life addresses such a critical need in our time, and throughout human history. Most of us have far too little esteem for our own worth as human beings. We may be too small or too weak or too disabled to "contribute to society" in a way that can be measured or seen. But that doesn't take anything away from our sacredness as eternal children of our Creator. We are not random products of evolution and natural selection; we are each miraculous...unique...beloved...precious...eternal. What we do--what happens to each of us--matters. Life is short; we must love one another seriously, deeply, with everything we've got.

Thy Will Be Done! ♥

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wish you were here!

Grandma and the kids:
Meanwhile, back, in the kitchen:

One of my favorite little Thanksgiving traditions around here is using my grandmother's turkey plates:
Having these on my table is the next-best thing to being back in my sweet grandmother's kitchen, where we made lots of great food and great memories. "Good groceries," my granddad would always say, and after the feast--and several desserts--we'd play cards late into the evening. He would always scheme against my Aunt Lynn to get first crack at the giblet gravy and oyster dressing, and he never, ever wasted any room on his plate with any green vegetables or my grandmother's fruit salad. It was all turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and cranberry--I mean really, why bother with any of that other stuff? All those Thanksgivings with my grandparents seem like just a couple of years ago...but really, they're now more like a couple of decades ago. It's bittersweet to think about, but how precious to be making new memories and traditions with my own family and my dear mom.

And what a perfect Thanksgiving we've had around here today! Guess what...my wonderful husband has cooked every single Thanksgiving dish all by himself, while I have basically hung out like one of the kids! Pretty cool, huh?! Everything was and is perfect, perfect, perfect.


What a wonderful day--wishing you the same!!

NOT a Dan Brown Novel

After reading "Bleeder" by John Desjarlais, I have good news and bad news: It's not a Dan Brown novel. At first, I expected that this counted as bad news against "Bleeder"--Dan Brown's suspense-filled blockbuster novels are hard to match for believable characters, thrilling plots, and fascinating setting details. But, of course, they're also filled with horrible prejudice and offensive misinformation about the Church.

"Bleeder", on the other hand, has lots of great Catholic stuff in it. The story is centered around a stigmatic parish priest who dies at the altar on Good Friday. The protagonist--Reed Stubblefield, a classics professor who is recovering from personal tragedy--finds himself accused of murdering the priest. In the process of discovering the truth of what happened, Stubblefield is forced to face his own questions about his faith, which makes for a fascinating and fun read.

What I didn't love about "Bleeder" was it's title, which I found a bit creepy, and some of the details and descriptions of the protagonist's background and feelings, which came across as a bit corny at times. These small negatives were far outweighed by the fun mystery and seamless integration of Catholic themes into the absorbing plot. I enjoyed reading the description of local details, as the story takes place in my own backyard (sort of). And I never would have guessed "whodunnit"!

Overall, I'd really recommend "Bleeder." It's fun. I very much look forward to reading more books by Mr. Desjarlais. If only more books like "Bleeder" could replace those "DaVinci Codes" on the best-seller lists!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Bleeder and check out their great selection of Advent and Christmas items while you are there, as well as their terrific baptism gifts.


Disclaimer: The Catholic Company provides books for review free of charge to its reviewers. Come join the fun!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

...Christmas card time, of course! Sending and receiving Christmas cards from my friends and family is one of my favorite things about the holiday season. Since I live so far from many of my loved ones, I look forward to everyone's photos and updates so much at Christmas. And I always have so much fun making our Christmas cards each year.

I always mull over the same things...letter, card, or both? Traditional or modern? Very religious or just a bit religious? ("Happy Holidays" isn't happenin' in my cards, ya know!) Elegant or cute? Whole family picture (as if we ever have any good ones) or just the kids? Christmas-related clothing or regular? This last one, of course, amounts to whether I have any energy for organizing a whole new Christmas-related family photo, right around this week, balanced on the other side by whether we've managed to get everyone to sit still facing the camera at the same time, ever so far during the year.

What about you? Got any card-writing or photo-taking advice? I so love seeing everyone's creations every year.

In recent years I've been loving Shutterfly for all things photo-related. In fact, I've been trying to write this post for a while now, and every time I log onto Shutterfly to choose a few favorite cards to share with you, it's so much fun that I can't stop playing around with different cards and photos. The hardest part, for sure, is choosing just one--in fact, some years I can't decide and I do order a couple different ones. Last year, I was so excited to find a card I liked with five separate photo frames, that I used an individual closeup of each child, and it turned out great. (Remember that one?) Actually, Shutterfly makes it so easy to create cute cards, it's hard to make a bad one.

Check out these adorable designs:





See what I mean? Usually, of course, my photo of choice narrows my card selection down quite a bit. But I can see already that it's going to be a long night of card fun around here!

Shutterfly's vast holiday card collection is here, if you want to check it out.

I also love their baby announcements, which are here.

And if you're quick, you could even still whip out a quick Thanksgiving card!

Here's the best part: If you have a blog, 50 free Shutterfly cards can be yours. Just check out this awesome offer from Shutterfly.

Have fun! And do I have your address? Check your mail in a month or so!

Quick Takes Friday

Joining Jen at Conversion Diary for Quick Takes Friday!

~ 1 ~
Most years, November's not my favorite month. Bare trees, the onset of biting cold, a few flurries, holiday stress looming ahead--no thanks. This year--totally different story. What a beautiful, peaceful couple of weeks this has been. And shorts! In November! What is this, Texas or something?!

~ 2 ~
What a contrast from last year, when right about now the new house was full of boxes and chaos from moving in, and the last thing I wanted to think about was cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas this year. We have no big plans; I'm just glad to get to have the holidays here in this house that I love so much.

~ 3 ~
I am always looking for quick to-go snacks and breakfasts for days when we're running off to sports, and I can't wait to try Jamie's recipe for oatmeal bars!

~ 4 ~
This fall, the girls have been knitting up a storm. That's right--knitting! They aren't getting any of that domesticity from me, that's for sure. I'm no knitter, at all, ever. The girls are doing a knitting club at the library, and they have learned so much there that MRD has completed a cute purse, and is close to finishing both a scarf and a hat. Wow! I'll post some pics of their creations soon.

~ 5 ~
Did I tell you that MPD has figured out how to escape from his crib? He's quite delighted about this, as you can imagine. Life as we know it around here will never be the same.

~ 6 ~
You know what? I've been under this foolish, naive impression that once we got everyone finished nursing and out of diapers (we're not there yet), things would get easier around here. Ha! Ha! Ha...
The teenage years are looming in a big way and clearly, nothing's getting easier anytime soon. For a while now I've been naively sticking my head in the sand about these upcoming teenage years ("not my kids"), but reality is raising its ugly face. I'm a bit overwhelmed about how hard it is to keep track of everyone's needs around here lately, and I feel spread way too thin.

~ 7 ~
How do I know that God is real? Simple. If He weren't, I'd be a puddle on the floor. See #6 above, of course. I'd never, ever make it through the day on my own, I promise.

Now go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

Guest Post

Welcoming C.S. Lewis to the blog today...

"Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thought to God when everything is going well with us. We 'have all we want' is a terrible saying when 'all' does not include God. We find God an interruption. As St. Augustine says somewhere, 'God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full--there's nowhere for Him to put it.' Or as a friend of mine said, 'We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it's there for emergencies but he hopes he'll never have to use it.' Now God, who has made us, knows what we are and that our happiness lies in Him. Yet we will not seek it in Him as long as He leaves us any other resort where it can even plausibly be looked for. While what we call 'our own life' remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interest but make 'our own life' less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness?

"We are perplexed to see misfortune falling upon decent, inoffensive, worthy people--on capable, hardworking mothers of families or diligent, thrifty little tradespeople, on those who have worked so hard, and so honestly, for their modest stock of happiness and new seem to be entering on the enjoyment of it with the fullest right...

"Let me implore the reader to try to believe, if only for the moment, that God, who made these deserving people, may really be right when He thinks that their modest prosperity and the happiness of their children are not enough to make them blessed; that all this must fall from them in the end, and that if they have not learned to know Him, they will be wretched. And therefore He troubles them, warning them in advance of an insufficiency that one day they will have to discover."

Ten Reasons Why I Love My Catholic Faith

You may know that I'm a convert to the Catholic Church. I joined the Church in Chicago at Easter 1996, after almost 30 years of happy Presbyterianism. The more I learn and understand about the beautiful Catholic faith, the more I love it. Here are some of my faves:

10) The Liturgical Calendar. The beautiful Church year, with a full-fledged observation of Advent and Lent as well as such events as Jesus' conception at the Annunciation, Epiphany, Mary's birthday, Pentecost, Jesus' Ascension, and so many more beautiful feast days and solemnities. The party never ends!

9) Holy Week and Easter. Next April, come and see for yourself, if you've never attended all the Holy Week liturgies. It is SO COOL. Palm Sunday, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist/Last Supper on Thursday, the solemn observation of Jesus' crucifixion on Friday afternoon, the quiet, dark church in the meantime, and then the glory of the Easter Vigil, which celebrates our entire salvation history in an amazing liturgy that fills all the senses. Did I mention that it is SO cool?

8) I can more fully appreciate Renaissance Art and Architecture. Can I ever--practically all of the significant art and architecture for the first 1500 years of Christianity, and lots more from the following 500 years, was created and/or inspired by or for the Church. I can't wait to go back to Europe, now that I'm Catholic! (Maybe someday?)

7) Marian Theology. Really. Believe me, all those statues and pictures of Mary used to make me a little nervous, I promise. But once I began to understand the Church's teachings about Mary's significance within God's plan of salvation history (hint: Catholics don't worship her), I was blown away. Amazing! Here's a summary, much better than I could ever write up.

6) Sacramental Confession. Yes, you read that right. Before I was Catholic, the idea of Confession just seemed ridiculous to me. Why would I want to tell my sins to another person? I could just as easily, you know, pray, and confess 'em directly to God. But you know what? I didn't. Because doing that would obviously involve admitting that I really had sins, which would require figuring out what my sins actually were. And moi, a sinner? Surely not--really--right?

But going to the actual Sacrament of Confession requires me to really think it out. I have a structured Examination of Conscience to use as a sort of checklist. When I talk to the priest, it's not so much like actually telling another person my sins as it is like telling them to God--out loud. Then when he tells me my sins are forgiven, I can feel that they really are. It's pretty awesome--addictive, even. :)

5) Keeping the "Logic" in my Theology. So far, I haven't come across a theological question that Catholic teaching hasn't satisfied for me. Saint Peter as the keeper of the kingdom on earth? Check. How to reconcile Creation and Evolution? Check. The Church's teaching on love and marriage? Check.

When I was Protestant, I always struggled with this idea that once I "accepted Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior," my salvation was a done deal. How could that be? It didn't make sense. That's not, it turns out, something I have to believe as a Catholic. As St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, we must "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." Of course, to do this, we have to love Christ, but that's not the end of it.

4) Sacred Scripture is precious. And Catholic Mass is full, full, full of it. Catholics totally believe that the Bible is God's holy and divinely inspired word. But again--that's not the end of it. You see, when I subscribed to a sola scriptura viewpoint, the Bible seemed to me to be almost a magical book. Got a problem or question? Just pray, open the book, and surely something suitable would come to me from within. I was forever trying to figure out which verses to take literally (Obey my husband? Really?), and which had been replaced by newer Scripture (Levitican dietary laws, anyone?).

As a Catholic, I don't have to try to wring all the meaning from Scripture, all by myself. I don't have the gift of infallibility, after all (whew!). I get to draw upon two millenia of Christian scholarship to help me understand how it all fits together. Sure, it's God's word; it's just not up to me to interpret it--solo. I think that makes a lot of sense.

3) Other religions are not all wrong. And non-Catholics are not necessarily going to hell. I like getting to believe that a spark of God's truth can be found in various other faith traditions, so that there truly can be a point of commonality from which to start discussions about faith. I must be clear that I do not believe that other faiths are equally true--now that would be a distortion of the word "truth," would it not--and I'm (obviously) convinced that the fullness of the faith is in Catholicism. But I don't have to go around judging other people's souls, based on their demographics. That, of course, is certainly above my pay grade.

2) I get to be a part of the Church that Jesus started. So many beautiful things in Catholic theology and liturgy date from the earliest years of the Church. Learning about history with the kids has given me such an appreciation of the Church's role in the advancement of western civilization. It's so amazing that the succession of the papacy can be traced from Benedict XVI all the way back to St. Peter. And once some people started breaking away from the Church and still called themselves Christian (which, of course, they are), who's to say that one group (say, Lutherans) happened to hit upon the truth more than another (e.g., Mormons)? Does it make sense for people to just up and start their own church whenever they feel like it? As I mentioned in #4, the divine gift of infallibility was given only to the apostles, and even for them only in certain circumstances. I'll stay off that slippery slope, thanks.

1) Most of all, of course, the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist within the beautiful, amazing Sacrifice of Holy Mass. Because, you know, no matter how much you analyze and apologize and intellectualize Christianity, what it's really about is Love. It's a relationship--in which we respond to our Creator's infinite and unimaginable love for us. It is literally beyond the ability of human intellect to truly understand how the Creator of the Universe could and would actually step into time to become one of His own creatures. Not only did he do this, but, subsequent to the days His human feet walked on Earth, He left us with a means of communing with Him on a continual basis for all time. "Do this in memory of Me," He said. And they did, and we still can. Who could have ever imagined that the real, live, Creator of the universe would love us enough to connect us to Himself in such an intimate way? All I can say about that is, well...Alleluia!

November Daybook

Outside my window... Overcast and blustery. Definitely November.

I am thinking... about Advent and Christmas preparations. For once, I'm simply looking forward to the holidays without feeling at all overwhelmed. And for the first time since I moved to the midwest in 1995, I am actually looking forward to winter!

I am thankful for... having Bill at home most days. Unemployment is kind of fun, if I don't think about it too hard.

From the kitchen... we're doing a brisket tomorrow. This is such a Texas thing, that we hardly ever do. Yum!

I am wearing... my new jeans that I wear almost every single day lately, a wheat-colored sweater, my shearling flip-flop slippers.

I am creating... a Thanksgiving menu in my head. Every year, I want to try new recipes. Every year, I am overruled in this by my family who unanimously votes for the same old favorites. I am not too sad about this, because I love the favorites too.

I am going... to pick everyone up from school in about 20 minutes. Let the wild rumpus begin!

I am reading... the Wall Street Journal every day now that Bill's getting it at home. I love it. I've never loved newspapers, but this one is really good. Does this mean I'm finally a grownup? (Yes, I know...a conservative grownup.)

I am hearing... the sound of MPD driving his Diego car around on the coffee table. He's supposed to be taking his nap, but now that he's figured out how to climb out of his crib, it's a free-for-all around here I tell you! We still have something resembling "quiet time" during this part of the day, and I know that if he doesn't nap, bedtime will be earlier and easier.

I am hoping... to figure out a way to watch WWD's basketball scrimmage tonight. It's a long shot.

Around the house... I am planning to finish putting all the Halloween stuff away this afternoon. I'm in the mood to de-clutter and clean, clean, clean this month. Yesterday we (mostly) finished a big fall clean-up for our yard--everything cut back, raked out, ready for the first snow. I feel like this is a metaphor for life right now--in a good way.

One of my favorite things... coffee. Of course.

A few plans for the rest of the week... a big visit with Jamie and the boys tomorrow night! Hooray!

A picture for sharing...A bit of our fall clean-up:

My Brown-Eyed Girl

Look who got to bring home the class pet for the long weekend! :) I am happy (and quite relieved) to announce that Hermie the hermit crab survived several days and nights at our home. KLD did a great job taking care of him.

KLD, you are making me so happy and proud these days. I'm so glad for you that you are loving school so much, and you have so much peace with your friends and your sweet teacher. For you, above all, school was a much better choice than homeschooling. I know you sometimes tell me that you want to homeschool again, but your cheerful smile, lack of morning tummyaches, and enthusiastic stories about your days speak louder than your words.
Everyone laments the middle-child spot, but you know what? I think you've got this all figured out. You get to be a big kid for the good stuff, like staying up late, and a little kid when chores and other undesirables are being handed out. Those older two "blue-eyes" blaze the trails around here while Mom's still strict and uptight, then you follow along when Mom's a bit more relaxed for such things as--oh, I don't know--enforcing bedtime, the allowable age to read Harry Potter, or whether you can ride your bike to the pool. It's not such a bad deal, right?

I wish you could see how amazing you are. I know it's hard to do so when your benchmark is your two several-years-older siblings. But you're incredible, sweetie--good at everything you've ever tried (okay, keeping your room tidy, maybe not so much--but everything else) and so beautiful, clever, strong, and wise. Even though those two little brown-eyed brothers drive you nuts sometimes with all their mischief, JPD is your own special buddy, and MPD adores you and loves it so much when you play with him.
I am so proud of your hard work on your multiplication tables, your enthusiasm for soccer, your love of books, your progress with your piano lessons, your ambition for the school Christmas pageant auditions, your adventurous spirit, and your fierce individualism right in the middle of it all, to name a few things. You are often quiet (and sometimes very un-quiet!), and when I look into the depths of your dark chocolate-colored eyes, I wonder what you are thinking. No doubt, it's something wise.

All I want to know is, where have the past few years gone? How can you already be eight years old? Just yesterday, we were going to toddler story time at the library, or meeting your Dad for lunch in the middle of the workday, or you were widely renowned as "the cutest two-year-old I ever saw" by one of your babysitters, or smokin' the other preschoolers in swimming lessons or preschool snowski class (my favorite!). Just yesterday, we had to drive back two hours to retrieve your precious "nummy" from that hotel in Cleveland, because you would not sleep without it when we got to Philadelphia. Just yesterday, you were sleeping in the pack&play all summer in our apartment while we waited for our house to be renovated unexpectedly. Just yesterday, we had your 2-year-old Elmo birthday party on the floor of our new house because we had no furniture moved in yet. Just yesterday, you were in the Baby Bjorn at the Lincoln Park Zoo, sleeping the day away because you were only about 2 weeks old.

Just yesterday, I took this picture:And you're just as cute as always, year after year. I love you so much, KLD, my sweet "Tootch"!

All Saints' Day

My heavenly brothers and sisters, from those most renowned to those of greatest obscurity, I come before you now in all humility and commend myself, and all who are dear to me, to your intercession.

Pray for us always, that we may awake each day with a burning desire for the Lord whose Face you behold, that we will maintain an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, our Savior and Head, and that we will not hesitate to proclaim God’s greatness to others, and love them as the Lord loves us.

As you offer your continual praise before the throne of God, I raise my heart to you now to implore your powerful intercession for these special needs: (………).

I am confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard by our loving and merciful Lord. By his grace, may we someday join you in the glory of the Father’s house.