Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Atheist Holy Day

( This was sent to me in an e-mail... I can't take credit for writing it, but it did make me laugh!)

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days.

 He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days.
 The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
 
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel, declaring,"Case dismissed!"
 
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah,
yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."
 
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."
 
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
 
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.

 Court is adjourned.

Simple Woman

 

(Read the other daybook entries at The SimpleWoman )

 FOR TODAY March 30, 2009

 

 Outside My Window...  It is looking like a beautiful day lies ahead. I hear the birds waking up and the sun is beginning to brighten the yard.

I am thinking... I need to plan meals for this week as soon as my computer time is over.

I am thankful for… our Friday nights with our Rosary group and all the friendships that it is has fostered.

From the kitchen…. Last night I made baked tilapia with vegetables and it was well-received. I have wanted to add more fish into our meals and go a bit easier on the red meat.

I am wearing... blue fuzzy robe and p.j.'s

I am creating…  Easter plans. We will be spending it with family in Pennsylvania and since we only have Saturday and Sunday to be with them, I want to make the most of our time there.

I am going…   to the post office, Target and basketball tonight.

I am reading… Beverly Cleary books with Thomas

I am hoping…to get some yard work done today, but a slip down our back deck stairs has left my right shoulder quite sore, so we’ll see if I am up to it!

I am hearing… the beautiful sounds of the birds outside.

Around the house...we have begun something I’ve wanted to do for some time now…shopping at the Restaurant Depot, where you buy things in bulk at deep discounts. We share the food with another family if the packages are too large. I always get a feeling of comfort from my well-stocked pantry. We also finally bought a second, smaller refrigerator for the garage, so I can even stock up on eggs, produce and milk, if they have an expiration date that is far off enough.

One of my favorite things...  rainy Sundays with nowhere to go, except Mass!  Lots of things from the kitchen were created yesterday.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:  Science class, basketball, ballet, chorus, Defenders of the Faith club for Thomas, Lenten Soup Supper at our parish, a Pampered Chef party, two Masses in memory of my Dad. On Friday, our homeschool chorus is going to culminate their six-week program with a performance at our local nursing home. We are all looking forward to that. The children absolutely loved this singing group and we are looking into continuing it for another six weeks after Easter.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...   This is from last year, but I loved Hannahs curls that day! 

 

Oh, The Irony

When I saw the headline, I had to read further to see if this was true!  It is true!  But what captured me most, was the irony... she knows nothing of Our Lady of Guadalupe, yet accepts the dubious honor of being bestowed with the Margaret Sanger award ... the highest honor given by Planned Parenthood. What the...?

 

 

Hillary Clinton leaves flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe, asks ‘Who painted it?’

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton / Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mexico City, Mexico, Mar 27, 2009 / 04:59 pm (CNA).- During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” after asking who painted the famous image.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the tilma, or cloak, of St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image has numerous unexplainable phenomena, such as the appearance on Mary’s eyes of those present in the room when the tilma was opened and the image’s lack of decay.

Mrs. Clinton was received on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. by the rector of the Basilica, Msgr. Diego Monroy.

Msgr. Monroy took Mrs. Clinton to the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had been previously lowered from its usual altar for the occasion.

After observing it for a while, Mrs. Clinton asked “who painted it?” to which Msgr. Monroy responded “God!”

Clinton then told Msgr. Monroy that she had previously visited the old Basilica in 1979, when the new one was still under construction.

After placing a bouquet of white flowers by the image, Mrs. Clinton went to the quemador –the open air area at the Basilica where the faithful light candles- and lit a green candle.

Leaving the basilica half an hour later, Mrs. Clinton told some of the Mexicans gathered outside to greet her, “you have a marvelous virgin!”

This evening Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to receive the highest award given by Planned Parenthood Federation of America -- the Margaret Sanger Award, named for the organization's founder, a noted eugenicist. The award will be presented at a gala event in Houston, Texas.

I've been waitng for this...

 I'm sure by now, most readers of my blog (yes,both of you!) are aware of the public outcry against the decision by Fr. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame University, to invite President Obama to, not only speak at this year's commencement exercise, but to be awarded with an honorary degree from the university.  In reading around the web, I was heartened to see that in 2004, the USCCB issued a statement, which in no uncertain terms addressed this very issue. When I read this for myself, my first thought was  that this priest is acting in direct disobedience to the bishops. Why aren't any of the Bishops addressing this issue head-on with this guy? Finally, this morning I found  this on LifeSite News.  A Bishop who is confronting Jenkins on his bad decision. Yippee! I am praying more of our bishops jump on this bandwagon.  The Catholic Church in America needs to show strength and unity in its leadership these days. This very public controversy is a test  which I am hoping we pass! Notre Dame needs to place the teachings of our Lord and His church above any sort of fleeting, worldly notoriety gained by having the president address its graduating class! If you haven't already done so, please add your name to the growing numbers of people signing this online protest of Fr. Jenkins and his blatant, slap-in- the face to his own superiors and the Catholic community at large... not to mention the insult and scandal he brings on Notre Dame University... named for the model of pro-life obedience herself, and on our Lord Jesus who must be immensely saddened at the thought of honoring someone who has so little regard for human life.

If you haven't signed the protest already here is a link

This is the text of Bishop Olmsted's letter to Fr. Jenkins.

Dear Fr. Jenkins,

I am saddened and heavy of heart about your decision to invite President Obama to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive an honorary degree.

It is a public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States.  Our USCCB June 2004 Statement "Catholics in Political Life" states: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles.  They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."  No one could not know of the public stands and actions of the president on key issues opposed to the most vulnderable human beings.

John Paul II said, "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination."

I pray that you come to see the grave mistake of your decision, and the way that it undercuts the Church's proclamation of the Gospel of Life in our day.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
Diocese of Phoenix

Yes, I do read, sometimes

I just realized that I don't update my sidebars  often enough.  I noticed that my booklist is woefully outdated!  Yes, I do read when I get the time, and right now I am puttering my way through several books. Check out my eclectic mix of current reading on my newly updated booklist!

Oh, and I am always open to book recommendations, so give me about another year (since that is when I last updated) to get through these books and make some suggestions!

Not your mother's soda bread!

Years ago, we used to get home delivery of the local newspaper. Gradually I started to notice, not only a strongly liberal bias in the publication, but I would even say anti-Catholic!  A nagging feeling to cancel the subscription kept haunting me, but then where would I clip my coupons from, since this was the main reason I received it, anyway?  I was in a quandry. Then, I attended a dinner for our parish where the guest speaker was Fr. Benedict Groeschel, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.  He addressed my quandry head-on in his talk. He said he personally knew many of the editorial staff of said newspaper and that if anyone was supecting an anti-Catholic bias, they were absolutely right. Many of the writers were former Catholics with a bone to pick with the Church they had abandoned. I believe his exact words were "I wouldn't be caught dead reading that wretched rag!"  Now it has become a joke between my husband and me whenever we see this paper... the "wretched rag". 

What does any of this have to do with soda bread, you may be wondering? Well, I guess the one good thing that I ever got from that paper was my Irish soda bread recipe.  Now, I know what I am about to say is bordering on blasphemy for anyone of even vague Irish descent to say publicly, but I can't stand that dry, crumbly, tasteless soda bread with the caraway seeds that is actually authentic, Irish soda bread.  This recipe is more of a tea cake.. Irish soda bread for the feint of heart! But it is a keeper, and one the whole gang gobbles up.  It will make four small loaves, or less if you use larger pans... you'll  never go back to your mother's soda bread again.  As a matter of fact, my sister-in-law just called me looking for her mother's recipe and guess what? I don't even have it anymore!

 

Don't those look yummy?  What doesn't get eaten at dinner tonight will be toasted for breakfast! So here is the recipe if you want to cut those apron strings and and try something new.

        Sweet Irish Soda Bread 
  6 1/2 c. flour               4 xl eggs
1 1/2c. sugar               1/2 c. corn oil
2 t. salt                         2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking soda            3 c. buttermilk
2 t. baking powder        1 15 oz. box raisins

Prehaeat oven to 350. Grease loaf pans.

1. Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl beat eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk. Add to flour mixture and stir well.  Stir in raisins.
3. Divide batter into greased pans. Place pans on middle rack in preheated oven. Rotate pans halfway through cooking.
4. Bake for 45 min. or until tester comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from pans.

A Blessed St. Patrick's Day

Semi-Homemade with Chris

                               

Friday, Jessie left for Italy.  So, as per usual in our house, we needed to have cake on Thursday. Having no cake mix in the house, nor the will to bake one from scratch, I remembered that about a month ago, I made a two layer cake that only had one layer. The layer we didn't use got  put in the freezer to be eaten at a later date.  Sometimes, my freezer has the tendency to mangle things that get forgotten in there. So here I had this yummy vanilla cake in a ziploc bag that was in several pieces. Then I recalled  the ice cream I had gotten on sale last week and thought... ice cream and cake... the perfect pairing! I finished the job of mangling the cake and pressed half of the crumbs in the bottom of an 8-inch square pan and popped it back in the freezeer while Thomas did math. You need to freeze this between layers so the layers don't all get mixed together.   Then I softened some chocolate ice cream so it was just at a spreadable consistency and smeared that over the frozen cake crumb crust and put that in the freezer while Thomas did History.   Next another layer of crumbs and we did spelling and vocabulary while those firmed up in the freezer. A layer of spreadable vanilla ice cream and it went back in the freezer while Thomas and I read together. I love how we multi-task in our home!  The finishing layer (and I believe my favorite) was the layer of homemade whipped cream I topped it with. Notice how thick that layer is!  We decorated with some sprinkles and put the whole thing back in the freezer until after dinner. This was a fun cake to make, and to eat. But it is even more fun when you discuss with the family how it could be improved. Next time I'm thinking chocolate cake and coffe ice cream for some kind of mocha sensation. I might used crushed cookies as a layer for a crunchier texture than the cake crumbs. How about crumbled up milky way or snickers in the middle... Reese's peanut butter cups, anyone?  The possibilites are only limited by your own imagination!  Try this.. it couldn't be easier... and look at all the schoolwork that got done at the same time! 

SimpleWoman

 

(Read the other daybook entries atThe Simple Woman )

FOR TODAY March 9, 2009

 Outside My Window...  It is still rather dark since the clocks got turned ahead this weekend. Seems like a dreary day out there.

I am thinking...of more ways our family can be better prepared for the uncertainty of the economy.  

I am thankful for...  my dear husband who works tirelessly to support this family all week and then continues to work here in the home for much of his weekend.

From the kitchen…  I need to get some baking done. I have gotten the family used to having my homemade granola bars as opposed to the packaged ones, so I need to keep those on hand.

I am wearing...blue fuzzy robe and pj’s, still. 

I am creating...  new and improved lesson plans for Thomas.

I am going…   to the local fruit market later today. I have no idea how they manage to keep their prices so low, but it is worth an extra trip out to take advantage of their prices!

I am reading… I picked up Mother Angelica’ book called Mother Angelica’s Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures. If you’ve ever heard her speak, her writing style is exactly like her speaking style. It’s as if I can hear her speaking as I am reading.  She really has a gift for bringing the scriptures to life. She is so down-to-earth, which is something I really appreciate as a reader. Here is an example from her meditation on Ruth:

“Some of us think we have to like what we’re doing to be obedient.

You’re not being obedient until you do what you don’t like to do. If you

don’t believe me, ask Ruth.”

I am hoping… that my brother-in-law’s heart procedure goes smoothly tomorrow and that he continues on the way to good health.

 I am hearing… the sound of the dryer tumbling,

Around the house...today I must get to the upstairs. The upstairs is the hardest area for me to maintain, but so far it hasn’t turned into a disaster since I  last  spent time up there; so maintain, I will.

One of my favorite things...  is when the older children anticipate my needs. It gives me hope that I did something right in raising them. I had an unexpected pick-up to make at dinner time a few days ago and when I got home, dinner was ready to be served, the table was set, and all I had to do was sit down and enjoy!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:  the usual activities. An extra basketball game is on the schedule tonight to make up for the snow day last Monday.  Jessie is leaving for Italy on Friday, so my thoughts are turning to her. She will definitely be missed! I am so excited that she is doing this, but the nervous Mom in me worries.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...  no homeschool education would be complete without erupting a homemade volcano on the kitchen table!

  

I Think I've Got 'Em

ESTROGEN ISSUES
 
10 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE 'ESTROGEN ISSUES'  

  1. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.
  2. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet. 
  3. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans. 
  4. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.
  5. You 're using your cellular phone to dial up every bumper 
      sticker that says: 'How's my driving-call 1- 800-'. 
  6. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice.
  7. Everyone seems to have just landed here from 'outer space.' 
  9. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy. 
  10. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.