Solidarity
“Atrocities happen because there are those who commit them and those who simply remain silent.” – Cardinal Wuerl.
Prayer Request
Will you all please keep in your prayers my cousin, Paul? He is being treated for adenoid cancer and had a very long surgery yesterday to removed the cancer (over 12 hours). He has a long road ahead of him now with healing from that and radiation treatments as well.
St. Paul, pray for us.
St. Edward, pray for us.
Welcoming the Stranger
Today, on the 37th anniversary of his death, let us read the words of Pope Paul VI regarding welcoming the stranger:
67. We cannot insist too much on the duty of giving foreigners a hospitable reception. It is a duty imposed by human solidarity and by Christian charity, and it is incumbent upon families and educational institutions in the host nations.
Young people, in particular, must be given a warm reception; more and more families and hostels must open their doors to them. This must be done, first of all, that they may be shielded from feelings of loneliness, distress and despair that would sap their strength. It is also necessary so that they may be guarded against the corrupting influence of their new surroundings, where the contrast between the dire poverty of their homeland and the lavish luxury of their present surroundings is, as it were, forced upon them. And finally, it must be done so that they may be protected from subversive notions and temptations to violence, which gain headway in their minds when they ponder their “wretched plight.” (58) In short, they should be welcomed in the spirit of brotherly love, so that the concrete example of wholesome living may give them a high opinion of authentic Christian charity and of spiritual values.
First Time Serving Mass
Karol served Mass for the first time this evening and did a great job. This mama teared up just a bit.
Summer Doings
It’s already August folks! My mom will be here in a week and one of my very good friends will be here at the end of the month. Exciting!
We’ve been pretty busy this summer with house things. Joshua is building a room in the garage for his tools and things, but it is slow going mainly because it’s hot here. He traded the hammer for a paint brush and we are working on projects in the house now, mainly finishing up the painting of the toy room. This turned into also working on the dining room, so half of the first floor is looking pretty spiffy.
We also moved our room from the upstairs to the “master bedroom” downstairs. We still have a bit of work left to do, mainly organizing stuff, but it is a nice change. I think I got the bug to do things around the house because two families we know down here are (or have) moved. We have been in this house for three years, the longest we’ve lived anywhere, so it’s time to shake things up a bit.
And all this was done with my mom coming in two weeks. Joshua also had to travel a bit, the kids got sick while he was gone, and I got stung by five bees, right before he left, while moving the lawn.
Oh, yeah, I got stung because I’m a moron. I totally forgot that we got bees. I was mowing the lawn Tuesday evening, listening to “Orthodoxy” (Chesterton), and just lost in thought. I didn’t see the hives until it was too late and I buzzed them and they got angry. My reaction was ahhhh-mazzzzee-ing.
I realized what was happening and tried to swat them away, but they kept coming, so I got off the lawn mower and ran for the house, calling for Joshua. I kept hearing the buzzing and felt a few stings, fell down, and finally got in the house. I brought more than a few in with me as well. They were mostly in my hair and it was horrible. I was freaking out about getting stung and Joshua was trying to kill the ones I brought in.
In the ended they all were killed and I counted five stings. Our neighbors came over to see if I needed to go to the hospital and I felt like a freaking doofus. Joshua talked with them, then I went over later to apologize for freaking them out. We have good neighbors, I’ll tell you that.
The kids were really good to me the next day though, and very concerned about the stings. I didn’t have much of a reaction, just swelling. I got sick the next day, but I think it was what the kids have.
Oh and I will not survive the zombie apocalypse.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer, especially those who live in the nice cool North!
Free Coconut Oil!
I’m popping in to let you all know about a great deal Tropical Traditions is having on Virgin Coconut oil!
If you buy $12.99 worth of items from the, you can also order a quart of virgin coconut oil for and get it for free. I like free. I also like the virgin coconut oil. This stuff smells great and adds a nice hint of coconut to dessert (brownies, wow!) or to fried shrimp. It is also nice to use as a moisturizer, no really, it does work. Just a little goes a long way.
If you click on the link below you can place and order and try it out today, I also get a little something from Tropical Traditions for referring new customer, so if you do order, would you consider doing it through my link? Thanks!
2014-2015 School Year!
The kids are all signed up and we are set to go for school, beginning in July. Yes, a small break (if they ever finish their current year math) then back to the grindstone. Why? Because it’s hot here and well we need routine. If we don’t have it, the day becomes a long day of me saying “No, you may not watch a movie”, “No, you may not play video games.”, “No, you may not have another snack” etc, etc, etc.
Karol will be doing 4th grade work, Margaret 3rd and Caecilia will officially be doing 1st. I’m excited about the new school year because my good friend Andrea is also homeschooling her son for the first time, using the same program we use (Kolbe) and her son is in 4th grade a well. I’m thinking there might be some teaming up via Chat or Video on science, what do you think, Andrea?
This coming year’s goals are to get Karol to learn to stop fearing and start loving division, practice handwriting a bit more and in general to stop complaining about school work. For Margaret, we will be working on spelling. For Caecilia, we are going to work on oral reading (plus getting used to sitting for a bit to do school work).
We are also working on a new schedule around here. Since it is summer, any out door chores need to be done early in the morning or as the sun is going down, so the kids are up and out at 615 to tend chickens and feed the other animals. I’m usually taking that time to pray and get ready for the day and am down stairs by 7(ish) or that’s the goal. It has worked well so far and I’m not feeling like I’m playing catch up all day. Plus Joshua gets a real breakfast and not something slapped together quickly. I also get bread made and often times dinner started at this time as well, that way the house stays cool (and in theory, the electric bill is lower.)
I’m also considering getting up earlier to work out and to do the work I do for Vianney Vocation, so I’m not trying to read articles or post things when I should be folding laundry or teaching Latin. I only hold back a bit because in the past, when I’ve gotten up earlier, other kids have gotten up earlier as well, so my day just starts earlier. Have you ever tried exercising with kids underfoot or asking questions? I just can’t do it. I get distracted and lose focus.
So I guess my goal for myself is to exercise each day and get my “job” out of the way before the kids are awake.
One question for my readers: I’m looking for a student planner for the older two, so I can write out assignments and they can check them off each week. I found one that was beautiful and Catholic, but it uses the old saint calendar, so that work work for us. Any suggestions for a good planner?
Macon Rhymes with Bacon
I’m going to lay it out here for you all, I don’t like living in South Georgia. Oh, you knew that? I thought I kinda sort of hid it pretty well. One of the reasons I’m not a fan of the area is the total lack of shopping options. I’m not talking about extravagant things, I’m talking about options for children’s clothing and shoes. I have a hard time finding clothes that are age appropriate that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
So, a few months ago, when a newsletter arrived from the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences arrived saying they were having a Bug Day on June 14th, we made plans to go to it. Macon is two hours north of us, so we make a day of it when we go. This time we planned the museum, Burlington Coat Factory, Mass, a Greek restaurant, and Aldi. So, basically something fun, with shopping at places that we don’t have around here to get things we can’t get around here (or can’t get at a reasonable price.)
The museum part was awesome. The kids had a lot of fun looking at the bugs. I was creeped out. Who keeps cockroaches as pets? I kill them, die, die, die! We watched a show at the planetarium, dug for dinosaurs, looked at snakes and chased Black Holes. The kids had a great time and so did the parents.
After we left, we stopped for lunch at Firehouse Subs. I’ve never been there but I was pretty impressed. Scholastica really like it there.
Burlington Coat Factory was great and we found some great deals on shoes and dresses for the girls, as well as a sport jacket for Bene. I found some jumpers for the girls form the school uniform section that will work great for weekday Mass. (Don’t worry, there are a few styles and colors, they won’t look like they are wearing the same thing at every Mass.) I went with jumpers because I needed to simplify things a bit with clothes. I need to be able to say “Go lay out/get on a daily Mass outfit.” or “Go get dressed for strings” and have appropriate clothing put on. I also found some awesome dresses for them from Gymboree for $7! Woot!
After BCF, we headed to St. Joseph Catholic Church. I love that church. It is very much like a northern Catholic church, big, full of stained glass and it helps lift your soul to heaven. (Not to say that a little mission parish can’t do that.) We also get to sing out of the St. Michael Hymnal, something so little and something that some people don’t even notice, but I love having that little connection to St. Boniface.
St. Joseph doesn’t have padded pews, so my kids slide on them a lot. Caecilia as very concerned that she could not sit up straight without falling over. One more note about St. Joseph: They have a  prie dieu at the the foot of the sanctuary, placed there during Communion, so that those who want to kneel to receive our Lord, can, and those who prefer to stand may also do so. It’s a great compromise in my book.
After Mass we headed to a Greek restaurant we had heard about when were up there for the Greek Fest last year. I was not disappointed. After trying one of their falafel, I looked at Joshua and apologized for every under-seasoned not very good deep fried chick-pea patty I’ve ever served him. The owners are originally from Chicago and did not disappoint in their Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwich. It was like being in the Windy City.
Our final stop was to get a few things (right) at Aldi. We now have groceries (minus fresh stuff) for a good long while. That makes me happy. We also have enough wine that I’m now thinking we need a wine rack. So now, with the exception of milk and veggies, I won’t have to go to the store for other things for at least three months!
Mini-Muffins, Coconut Style
Muffins = Cupcakes = Muffins = Cupcakes, we can all agree on that, right?
Tonight is our monthly parish supper, so I need to bring something to share. Every time I’ve made bread, it’s not turned out well, any side dish I make ends up being gross. I never seldom have these problems at home (well maybe I do, but we just eat it anyway). I found that desserts work well for taking. I can make it early in the day, then drop them off before heading to Mass before the supper.
Today I made Coconut Cupcakes to take as our offering. I also did a few adaptations to make it my own and in the end, they taste very good! Good enough to call a muffins and serve them for breakfast.
Coconut Muffins
- 5 tablespoons of  butter, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 5 tablespoons of Coconut Cream Concentrate
- 1 1/4 cup of Sucanat (regular sugar can be substituted)
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup  milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups of flour (I used freshly milled soft white)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut
1. Cream together the butter, coconut oil, and Coconut Cream Concentrate until combined.
2. While waiting for that to finish, mix the flour, salt, baking powder into a small bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next one.
5. Scrape down the sides, then add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix, then add 1/2 of the wet ingredients. Continue alternating with the wet and dry mixtures, ending with the dry.
6. Once the ingredients are mixed together, fold in the coconut.
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
I made a cream cheese frosting to put over top, I just kinda winged it, so you’ll have to forgive my “measurements”:
1/2 block of cream cheese (because that’s what I had)
2 tablespoons of coconut cream concentrate
sucanat/sugar to taste (or use powdered sugar)
Coconut milk if needed to thin it out.
Mix together with a mixer/beaters, until smooth and top the muffins.
These made 60 mini muffins.