Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Quick-Takes

#1. SNOW DAY. I don't mind it, but I believe we in the Northeast are getting a bit liberal about doling out the snow days. It was snowing lightly most of the morning, but back in the old days, we would definitely have walked to school if it was open! (in bare feet, three miles, and sometimes home for lunch and back) 

#2. Pretzels. If you know anything about me from reading this blog, it is that I love baking. Especially on snow days. But since it is Lent, it doesn't feel quite right  to bake  sweet goodies. So to quell my baking urges, I've made pretzels! The kind that look like arms folded in prayer. Here is a recipe from Pillsbury that I used. Instead of egg whites, I just sprinkle the salt on them after removing form the boiling water. Then after eight minutes in the oven, brush with 2T. melted butter. Two more minutes in the oven to brown them up and after removing from the oven, brush any butter that is left over the tops.  Buttery goodness! (By the way, the addition of the butter was from a recipe on the back of a flour bag... not my own... though I am not complaining!)

#3.   Finances. One of my goals for the new year was to get our budget/finances in order, if possible.  Someday in the future, I will probably need to go back to a paying job.  I just don't know who would want me. By that time I will be a fifty-year-old who's been out of the work force for almost thirty years and who was only in the work force for about three years to begin with, not counting high school and college jobs.  I'm thinking with my earning potential, I'd be better off pinning my hopes on the lottery!

#4.  Lent. Trying hard to do  the 40 Bags in 40 Days  project.  So far so good. It is a good way to purge the house of un-needed and unwanted "stuff".  I can't say I get rid of bagg a  day, but I think I will hit the forty mark by Holy Week. 

#5. Maintaining. Yes, I remain as caught up on the laundry as one can be in a household of nine! (see last week's quick takes)

#6. Girls. Hannah's got four friends here playing right now. It is taking the five of them an hour to make a decision as to what to do next! At the risk of sounding like I stereotype my children... I find that the boys will just do and join in. Very little discussion. Girls need to discuss. Everything. But, judging from the laughter and lively voices coming from the room where they are, the discussing has paid off.

#7. Wedding Plans. Still a few items to cross off the list, but doing well.

The wedding gown should be in the shop this week! The bridesmaids' dresses should be in too. But of course, the most important dress, yes Hannah's, the flower girl's dress, is still not completely decided upon. 

Tomorrow is Kate and Matt's last session of pre-cana. It was difficult for me to admit, but I did not want them taking pre-cana in our parish. Dan and I have been teaching the class for almost fifteen years. It would be rather uncomfortable for all involved to have them in our class. I think they would have been uncomfortable with any of the other couples as well, since Kate has known them since she's eight years old! I completely understand. Only thing is... I know we have a wonderful program in our parish. I hope that the class they are taking is worthwhile and true to the faith.

Be sure to read more quick-takes  to get your weekend off to a fun start.

(I will read them later this weekend myself, because I now have five little girls jogging the loop of my first floor yelling  "Fight the fat! Fight the fat!" I think they need an intervention)

Have a great weekend!

Dinner in the big city

Last night Dan and I met my brother and his friend, and my sister and her husband in Manhattan to celebrate my sister's birthday. As a gift we chipped in and  treated her and her husband to see South Pacific at Lincoln Center. First we all had dinner together and then sent my sister and her husband off on their "date". The weather really cooperated and after we all parted ways, Dan and I strolled around Lincoln Center a bit and then walked down to Columbus circle.  We had plenty of time to take in the sights of the city without feeling rushed and still made it home at a decent hour.

I did work in Manhattan for a couple years BC (before children), but it is so much more enjoyable to visit without the stress of working there.

This picture is Dan, me, my sister Mary Lynne, Warren's friend Joe, and my brother-in-law, Steve.

Below are me, Mary Lynne, and our brother, Warren.

I thought I'd be taking more pictures in the city last night: I didn't. But a trip to Manhattan always leaves me with so many memories of sights and sounds, I thought I'd just share them here in words :

two beer-drinking middle- aged guys in tye-dye (Grateful Dead, anyone?)... couple on train each on their own phones, one talking louder than the other: quieted finally when they both fell asleep... cops with bomb-sniffing dogs in Penn making me feel safe?...friendly homeless man making small talk with me... squeezing sardine-like into already packed subway...ascending out of subway and seeing the lights of NY at night... homeless guy complete with two hefty bags slung over his shoulder waiting to cross street next to woman in long white fur wearing shiny black and white high heels... oversized, ancient poodle, gimping across Columbus Ave... well-dressed woman pushing her pocketbook in some type of cart... patrons of the opera dressed to the nines rushing to get to their seats in time... man wearing beret meets up with woman in white fur... stranger asks us if she is walking uptown (well, if the street numbers are going up, you are) ... over-sized, out of proportion statues of Adam and Eve in the Shops at Columbus Circle (YIKES!!! Thank me for not having my camera)...woman on subway evangelizing to uncomfortable passengers. And in my heart, I recited those scriptures right along with her... John3:16 God so loved the world that He sent his only Son...

Blessings,

 

Small Successes

My three small successes all have to do with the household... hmmm... I see a pattern

#1   Laundry: I am embarrassed to publicly state how many loads of wash I did between Monday and Tuesday this week. Let's just say it was double digits. It is all washed, dried, folded and put away! It took two days. Now I need to maintain, maintain, maintain!

#2  Closet organization:  The school supply closet was a wreck. The garbage I purged from it stuffed a tall kitchen bag. This may not seem like much, but  take a look at the closet here. It is not very big at all.  Even with all the stuff I threw out, the closet is still quite full, but now, much better organized.

#3    My bedroom: Always a sore spot in my housekeeping. But, I am trying, for Lent, and for my husband, who deserves a quiet place to  retreat to after working all day, to get it in shape and keep it that way.

Check out the small successes of other blogging moms here .

Happy St. Valentine's Day

I hope your day was full of love!

... speaking of love I thought I'd share one of my great loves... bargain shopping at stores like Big Lots and Dollar Tree.  I actually get quite a lot of school items in these stores, as well has housewares and even food (if the expiration date hasn't past, and it is a brand I know). Big Lots is wonderful for toiletries, as well. I usually find brand name shampoos and lotions at amazing discounts. Here are my two best finds in the past week. I know Big Lots is in other areas of the country and often they carry the same items. I'm not sure if the same is true for Dollar Tree.

I got these tea bags, which I love , for $2.00/box in Big Lots. I had recently bought the exact same tea at our local health food store for more than $5.00 ! Knowing that in Big Lots their merchandise changes from week to week, I knew to stock up. If you are not fond of green tea, give these a try, they're not bad.

Then, I got these lovely sketch notebooks in Dollar Tree for, you guessed it: one dollar each. I bought a bunch so I could share with my dearest friend and homeschool mom extraordinaire, Mary Ellen.

  

 
With things being economically tight for most of us these days it is smart to hunt down the bargains and be pleasantly surprised at what you may find out there!

Have a blessed and restful remiander of your day of rest.

Fun outside

Hannah and her snow-peeps. The poor guy on the right can't see a thing without his glasses!

 

Snow days...

One of the things I love about the High School Ben and Becky go to is that they think independently from the mainstream. We waited all evening to see if they would grant another snow day tomorrow and while many surrounding school districts closed, no word from our beloved school. Finally at 11PM they posted on the website... closed Thursday AND Friday!. Wow, it just feels like Christmas around here! I guess since they have Winter Break starting on Monday, it doesn't make sense to re-open on Friday for one day. What a gift... and I don't know, but that anticipation of waiting to hear about a snow day is infectious... I am excited for the kids to get a well-earned break. And it helps that I may get an extra hour of sleep the next two days, not having to wake up early and make lunches. 

Does this mean I have to continue baking for the next two days?

I'm game!

Hoping you are enjoying your snow days!

Snowy Day Baking...

My real reason for hoping for a snow day today...

    

Thomas discovered a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips in the back of the pantry. He was demanding to know when I bought them, how long they'd been there, and what my plans were for these chips? How could such potential cookie goodness have been under the same roof as him without him knowing about it? So of course I needed to make chocolate peanut butter chip cookies (recipe on the back of the bag). Also, I used the basic muffin recipe from Christopher Kimball's Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook to make another family favorite. This recipe pleases everyone because I divide the batter and make different varieties of muffins. Today I made chocolate chip, plain, and my favorite: jelly. To make the jelly muffins, I fill the muffin tin halfway with batter, plop a dollop of raspberry jam in there and cover it with a spoonful of batter. Blueberries are also a great add-in for the basic batter.  Also from Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook are the molasses spice cookies. The best non-chocolate cookie I know of. They are spiced with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg and after rolling the dough into walnut-sized balls they are dipped in sugar before baking, giving them a nice sparkle on top.

But the biggest crowd-pleaser of the day is this... Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread.

 

I clipped this recipe from the back of a bag of Pillsbury flour a few years ago because I thought it looked interesting. It took me about three years to get around to trying it. Now that we've tried it, I am making it all the time.  Since I am too lazy to type out the whole recipe I took a picture using the document setting on my camera and it worked! (double click the recipe if you haven't faced up to the fact that you need reading glasses) Yea! I may never type out another recipe again.

  

Here's a tip... after you boil the water and add the oats and butter, like this:

 

 you'll need to cool it down to 110 degrees. If you use the snow method for cooling, like this:

  

because you are impatient, like me... watch that thermometer carefully because things really cool down fast on the deck during a blizzard!

Oh and one other thing... if you are making a delicious dinner of lobster ravioli with a tomato cream sauce you've experimented with, thinking this bread will make a nice accompaniment, it will. But beware: if you get too busy cooking, you may forget all about the bread, even though the  aroma still hangs in the air, and you may just end up having Cheesy Italian Oatmeal Pan Bread for dessert.

Please don't ask how I know this!

Snowy Blessings From,

 
 
  

Weather on the way!!!

We may get a foot or more of snow tonight right through til Thursday if predictions are correct. We haven't had any good snow since the blizzard back in December, so we are very  excited here.  Provisions have been bought (baking supplies, snacks and of course, milk) and after basketball tonight, if all goes well I will be hunkered down for the next two days with the family!  Last weekend's storm missed us and we were disappointed, so here's hoping for a good one!

And here's hoping Dan can stay home and not brave the trains in the morning! Past history says, if the trains are running, he'll be on one.

 

Seven QuickTakes

   

#1-  I am tired. Very tired. Not sure why. I think the stress of last week got the best of me. I think I am suffering from a bad lack of motivation. I think I need to get off my chair, pour another cup of my favorite morning beverage (don't get excited, it's just coffee, but the first  cup or two in the morning taste better than anything in the world to me!) and go to town on the day's activities here!

#2- Our wonderful family Rosary group will be meeting here tonght. We are doing it a little differently tonight since one of the families had a Mass offered for Ryan Barrett tonight at 7:00. We are meeting at church for Rosary, staying for Mass, and then coming back here for a spaghetti dinner (which is one of my projects this morning) Then the kiddies play and the parents chat and listen to the Dads sing and play guitars for a bit before we all go home.

#3- Tonight, everyone may be leaving my house and walking right into a snowstorm. Yay! I love snowstorms, especially on  the weekends when the whole family gets to hunker down together. I have a flurry (no pun intended) of fun things to do swirling in my mind!

#4- The weather service is having a tough time tracking how this storm will effect the NYC/Long Island area. Just south of us, they may get two feet of snow. We may get four inches.... or two feet!  We will have to wait and be surprised. I guess since we are getting the northern edge of the system here even a slight deviation in the track the storm takes will have a big impact on how much we get.

#5- I found my camera cord! The reason I haven't been posting too many photos of late is my cord went missing about a month ago. We searched high and low with no luck. Then, two days ago I saw a wire peeping out from under something on my dresser... lo and behold, it was attached to the plug for the charger. I am so excited. If we get some snow I am hoping to get some intersting shots. We'll have to wait and see.

#6- The fire died out in the woodstove last night. I am cold. I can't get it fired up enough to throw off some serious heat. Hopefully the oven will warm up the kitchen once I get those meatballs in there!

#7- Wedding plans:  In spite of Matt's midwestern upbringing, and their modest means, Kate and Matt are planning a NY Style wedding. They have taken on the ambitious goal of footing most of the bill on their own. I am very proud of how they have saved, sacrificed and planned all this. It bodes well for their future together, I think. So everything is in place now except for the DJ, honeymoon, and my dress (which I realize is at the top of their list of things to worry about). They have come up with some good ways to save, like buying their invitations at Target and printing them themselves, limiting the use of limos to only when absolutely needed, and trimming the size of the wedding party. We are getting closer to the big day this May when my first baby flies the nest... hope I don't get too sappy about that, but I reserve the right to! 

Read other bloggers' Quick Takes here .

Have a blessed, warm and snowy weekend!

 

Blessing of the Throats

Today, being the Feast of St. Blaise, is a day I always make a point to get to church for the Blessing of the Throats.  Holding two crossed, blessed candles at the throat , the priest recites this blessing:

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr,
may God free you from illness of the throat and from any other sort of ill.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.

The use of sacramentals  is something which many non-believers (and even some believers) struggle with, and even ridicule the Church for. However, they are such potent reminders of our need for signs, symbolism and reminders of God's loving care for us. Taken at face value, yes, sacramental use can seeem superstitous. Until we understand and accept that they are not to be worshipped in and of themselves, but are markers to keep us on the path to heaven, they will always remain just that, a quaint throwback to an old religion no longer relevant in today's world. We need to make them relevant to our children so that we never lose the treasure which set our Faith apart from all other Christian faiths.

So, with the threat of illness looming in our household, once again, I packed up Thomas and Hannah and we made our way to noon Mass followed by the traditional throat blessing. Imagine my dismay when at the end of Mass Father gave a communal blessing to the congregation (quite a bit larger than a normal weekday Mass) and scurried back to the rectory for lunch.  Thomas and Hannah were a bit disapointed, as I had reminded them, as I do each year, what was to happen.

Our parish has Adoration right after noon Mass some days and this was one of those days.  So immediately after Mass, exposition took place. Yet, during the time that I remained behind, there was a dull roar of indignation from the parishioners, disappointed at not having their throats blessed, seeming oblivious to The Blessing present to them on the altar. I too was disappointed. I chose to use the occasion to point out that Adoration holds a much higher place in our worship and we should spend some time in quiet prayer.

Word got around that those who wanted a private blessing could go to the rectory and have it done there.  On the one hand, I was disappointed not to line up and receive the blessing in the traditional way (which I grew up with, and which our parish has always done) On the other hand, I  have to believe that receiving the communal blessing is just as good, and a few moments in Adoration was an added blessing I hadn't expected. God is good, isn't he?

Read about St. Blaise here.

And see what Father Z.  had to say in last year's post on this day.

Have a Blessed Day!