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Dear Google,

When are you going to fix the Search feature on Blogger? I knew it. People told me I could trust you again. Not happy.

Senior Product Designer at Vera Bradley is Filipina

Just so thrilled to find out that the Senior Product Designer at Vera Bradley is Elit Hoover who’s Filipina. There’s a brief interview featuring her in the latest (Spring 2010) Vera Bradley catalog.

Because I tended to lose things, I wasn’t a bag person until Vera. I put off buying a pretty bag for so long, even though the designs were lovely, because I was afraid I’d just lose it. Once I left a shoulder bag at a wedding reception and we were already on the way home and had to turn back to retrieve it! Guess I wasn’t wise enough to figure out that a bag could actually be the solution instead of the problem. So when I got my Vera it had to be a Vera — the biggest one, not easily forgotten. Since then I’ve used it as diaper bag, as book bag, as hide-things-before-a-party bag, etc. I *love* its many many pockets. What would make it perfect would be LABELS on the pockets!!! So I don’t have to check each one to find out what’s in it. What would be even more perfect is a zippable-on-the-sides Vera. So that if I do apply labels they wouldn’t be hard to see in the dark interior. Or maybe I can just bring a flashlight since it would fit :D .

Dd-18 wishes there was a sturdy Vera Bradley backpack she can use for all her books. The backpacks are all pretty, but there doesn’t seem to be one that would fit the bill, unless I got her a pullman (!). Her books are HEAVY. Maybe she should write Elit Hoover.

Homemade Bacon

Homemade Bacon

Okay, not really. The kids were happy enough with it, so there will be repeats.

The recipe:

Go to Local Harvest. Find a farmer near you who offers pasture-raised pigs, such as this one. No, that’s not where I got my pork, but my farmer doesn’t have a website. Ask for a half or a quarter — this will cost a couple hundred $$ but in my neck of the woods that’s actually cheap (esp. considering the long-term benefits of feeding my family well). I love getting the cuts that other people won’t — they’re a bargain and they make for some good eating.

Make sure you get some pork belly. Sliced. Thin or thick, your choice. Specify that you want it uncured. This is key, and sometimes you have to repeat yourself several times before they understand. It’s not that the farmer is dense, but that most customers DON’T ask for this kind of thing (they want their bacon ready to cook) so if you say uncured they may think you don’t know what you’re talking about and give you cured stuff — which, even if it comes from sustainably raised pigs, will likely still contain carcinogenic ingredients like nitrites, etc. which you don’t want in your body. I know because it happened to me once, getting the cured version inadvertently, I mean. So now I make sure the farmer understands exactly what I want.

Take your pork belly, and marinate it in just enough vinegar to moisten it (it shouldn’t be dripping or soaking, plus garlic (minced or mashed to a paste), some salt to taste, and black pepper. If you want bacon a tad sweet, add maple syrup or brown sugar — just the teeniest bit or your bacon will burn — right before cooking. Or, I’d brush it on the last few minutes of cooking. Pineapple juice is good too :) .

Back to the marination. Do that overnight (or two nights). Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven, in one layer, for 15 minutes or so. Drain on paper towels and serve. Yum yum. Your kids will love you, if they don’t already.

ChocBanOatCranWal Cookies

ChocBanWalCranOat
ChocWalBanCranOat
CranWalBanChocOat
BanChocWalOatCran
WalChocCranBanOat
WalCran….. fuhgeddaboudit.

Made these cookies today. Pronounced AMAZING by the kids. I saved some nut-less cookie dough for the allergy-sufferers, but otherwise, the walnuts HAVE to be in them.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (ground finely)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together
1 cup packed light brown sugar (can take less actually)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened

To butter mixture, add
1 mashed very ripe banana
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix in flour mixture until well combined, then add
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts

Using a large ice cream scoop, drop mounds onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 11 minutes or until just golden. Let cool a bit on baking sheet, about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool a bit more.

We like our cookies warm so we eat them right away, but you can store these in airtight containers (to preserve chewiness, though they are also DELICIOUS when the outsides have crisped up.

Variation: Sub 1/2 cup butterscotch chips for half of the chocolate chips. All kinds of awesome.

ETA: I don’t mean the large ice cream scoop used for scooping ice cream into cones (though of course it could also be used for that). I mean a scoop that holds about 1 1/2 tablespoons, kinda like these.

Higher Learning Indeed

Higher Learning? by Anne Hendershott

As the mom of a college student (and more coming in just a few years), I keep my eye open for articles such as this which I see as a “state of the nation” type of report.

As the mom of a previously-homeschooled college student, you can bet I still keep an eye open for whatever material my child is exposed to at school. Just because our oldest is now 18, a young adult — and very mature for her age, I think — that doesn’t mean our job of parenting and guiding her is over. If anything, we are trying to be ever more vigilant. The dangers are many and oftentimes sneakier. This is, of course, part of the “real world” (whatever that means) that she has to be exposed to, just because we can’t shelter our children forever. For our children to be effective harbingers of peace, justice and love in the world, it is sometimes necessary that they see the unrest, the injustice, the hatred that is around us in their rawest forms. Much as we’d like to continue to shield her from all of that, we realize it is futile, and perhaps harmful in the long term.

What worries me sometimes, and brings me to my knees, is the insidious nature of secular thought. I hate to sound paranoid but the fact is that you cannot let your guard down, even for one minute. This is not something to be complacent about. We have spent many years of our lives exposing our child to — hopefully — the true, the good, the beautiful… so that when faced with the lies and ugliness out there, she can distinguish the difference, and make choices in accordance with who she is: a loving child of God. The scary part is that these ugly lies are often cloaked in colorful, shimmering robes that attract and deceive. Sometimes they come full force, with malicious intent, but more often than not the root is something innocent (or ignorant), and can therefore be easily dismissed as nothing of consequence. And that is where we/she might make our/her biggest mistakes.

As we navigate the waters of college life, one thing we hope to maintain is that parent-child dialogue that, due to ever-busier schedules, is often hard to find time for. Beyond the usual “How was your day?” there still needs to be time for mother-child and father-child and father-mother-child talks. And so, in a way, the homeschooling hasn’t really ended. None of us have graduated yet. In just a few short months, we have had our eyes opened to this process of enculturation that goes on in the college world and beyond. It is a frightening thing to behold. But it’s also a challenging thing, and therefore exciting. Our college student is bringing home experiences and thoughts and ideas that we as a family need to put under a microscope and examine, with great care. I am thankful that she allows us this scrutiny and joins in with much enthusiasm and openness.

My concern right now with this particular child is achieving that balance… somewhere between letting go of this young adult who is stretching her wings and flapping them gently, more strongly by the day… and keeping just enough of a hold on her to keep her grounded, attached to the values and beliefs that she has leaned upon and cherished in her young life. I don’t want to hamper or hinder.

I wonder… if the awareness and the vigilance are there, would those be enough? It’s so easy to say, she’ll be fine, she’s a prayerful person, she loves God…. but looking at these politicians and seeing the fruits, I worry. Did their parents see this coming? Or did they see it coming but did not recognize it? Did they say to themselves, he/she’ll be fine — he/she is in a Catholic college/university and that’s *good enough*. Apparently for these people in office, it wasn’t.

ReviewMe Post: Would You Like Some Cheesecake?

The following is a paid review of Would You Like Some Cheesecake?

Not that I’m still baking cheesecake these days. I’ve long stopped, especially after reading Dr. Weil’s guidelines about cream cheese. I make my own cream cheese these days, out of strained homemade yogurt — yum! It even makes good yogurt frosting for carrot cake. When I perfect it, I think I’ll try making cheesecake again, as it’s something we all love.

But getting back to the task at hand… here’s what I think about the Moms Who Thinks’ cheesecake page:

I love that there are so many cheesecake recipes on it. Several that caught my eye: Black Forest Cheesecake, Cappuccino Cheesecake, Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake (gotta find out if it *is* a good copycat recipe!), and the White Chocolate Cherry Pecan. I’d rather not try another Key Lime because last time I made that it was soooo sour…. though still delicious. It did take me about half an hour just to squeeze those key limes by hand (now that I have a juicer it shouldn’t be as difficult!). My friend and I ate a good part of a 10-inch one just because we were the only ones in the house, LOL, but I digress…

Other things I like about this site: I love that there are recipes by the week, that there are crock pot recipes (need to add to my repertoire), healthy recipes, I especially appreciate the fact that prime rib is in their easy category — it IS easy, but many people think you’ve slaved over it when you prepare it for holidays. And yum, many chicken recipes too.

Things I didn’t quite like so much about the site: I always feel like ads make sites impersonal, and makes me less likely to visit often. Not true, of course, of known commercial sites such as Epicurious or Food and Wine. But still. And I really would be more comfortable with the site if it had an “About Us” section, because the one question in my mind that I didn’t get answered perusing the site was “Who in the world is Mama Shirley?”

After all, the site is titled “Moms Who Think”. Well, this mom’s thinking. :)

November Reads, Paco, 13

November Reads, Migi, 10

November Reads, Yena, 7

No, It’s Not Just About Abortion

There are times when it appears the only real issue for the Catholic church is abortion.

No, it’s not. Only a person who doesn’t pay attention to what the Catholic church says or does can come to this conclusion. They forget the people who are being helped daily in pregnancy crisis centers, the people who are being healed worldwide in Catholic hospitals, the Catholic missionaries who take care of, feed and clothe the homeless and hungry. They forget that the Catholic Church is also made of people who fund these programs because they can’t physically be there to help out. They forget the millions of prayers that Catholics send up for the sick, the hungry, the dying, every single day. They forget that Catholics pray, even for those who are enemies of life, enemies of the Truth, and enemies of peace. And that the Catholic church continues to love and help those who are victims of the Culture of Death.

They accuse the Catholic church of myopia, but it’s funny how they only mention the Catholic church when they talk about the issues that go against Catholic teaching. They only talk about the Catholic church when they find something to complain about. When was the last time they actually found something good that the Church is saying/doing? Apparently, they’re too busy to notice.

Our New Library

is open.

It’s beautiful! Spacious and sunny, layout well thought out, filled with books and books and books (of course!). It makes me want to go back to my old project (that will forever be unfinished) of going through every single picture book there is, just to ferret out the gold nuggets. Sigh… it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. :) I’m glad I get to share the load with other homeschooling moms.

My observations:

  1. They had slots to drop in the books you’re returning, 2 for adult books, 1 for children’s books, and 1 for “Everything else”. To make things easier for library patrons visiting today (opening day), they had an USHER telling everyone coming in where the Book Return was! They sure could have made it easier on themselves if they had just placed a huge banner up top proclaiming “Book Return”.
  2. They now have an OVERDUES office! An office! With a door, and a chair and a desk with someone sitting behind it. Scary. I wonder if it would feel like being sent to the principal? “You’ve got overdues? Step in here, please. We need to have a talk.” Yikes. I wonder if we will be getting an overdues report card at year end. Mine will say, “Funded 3 self-checkout computers as of 12/31/08″.
  3. Let’s go over to the TEEN section… hmm… seating area, lots of selections but uhm… wait, WHAT? what is THAT doing over there? “THAT” is a large poster of Twilight featuring the male lead (sorry, too lazy to google who that is). Ooooh, and flanking the poster are…. books! Both sides with a very provocative LABEL on top, just to make sure you don’t inadvertently miss the whole display! It blares, “Vampires”…. in bold black calligraphy on a neon orange background. Like those weirdly-dressed mascots of some store that always manage to catch your eye, standing at street corners in shopping areas, advertising the latest and greatest discounts. Come on in! Huge closeout sale going on now! They’re ugly and out of place, but apparently, they work, since the stores keep using the same tactic over and over.

    But yeah, back to the vampires sign. I was just musing as we walked around the new library that my 13-yo seems so excited to be a TEEN, given license to finally explore the teen section by himself. Given that the teen area is just a few steps off of the children’s area, I wonder how many kids are just waiting for their 13th birthday so they could officially saunter over and cross that invisible line, anxious to sample the literature that heretofore was not necessarily recommended for younger eyes and minds? Okay, maybe that doesn’t happen. Maybe it’s only in our family that kids are waiting for their debut into the world of older literature… my 10-year old keeps on asking, when do I get to read THAT? Here, we actually consider age as the more arbitrary determinant of when certain things are allowed. If I had to pre-read much of the literature that made it to my 18-yo’s shelves when she was 13, my efforts have to be doubled now. But again, back to the topic at hand.

    Where was I? Oh, yeah, the vampire books display. Isn’t *anyone* concerned that this is easily seen from the children’s area? What do parents say to their little kids when they ask, “Mommy, what’s a vampire?” Or is this the type of information that most little kids these days already know? Hmm… I probably already know the answer to that question, I just want to remain in denial for a while.

    More questions: if that were a Jesus display instead, would people comment and complain? How is it at your library? At our local ones I see displays for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day. Rarely, if ever, do I see a Christmas display. There are some, but usually mixed in with Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Hanukkah. There’s an Easter display sometimes, but often the rabbits and other secular Easter-themed books (IOW, nothing to do with Christ’s resurrection) dominate the grouping.

    And I can’t help but think — this Christian/Catholic thing is so offensive to the secular world… is it because it’s such a specific belief? Are we only into brand names when it’s clothing or cars, but we don’t want to be told exactly what or who to believe in? Not that Jesus Christ is a brand name, but is it that “vampires” is supposed to be a religion-neutral thing? Is it that Twilight can be attractive to Christians/Muslims/Jews/atheists alike, so that it doesn’t offend anyone, or maybe offends everyone instead, as opposed to only a few?

    I don’t know… I’m not really complaining anymore. Just… observing.

  4. On our way out, another poster… this one, announcing that there will be an anger management lecture that parents might want to attend if their kids are getting out of control.

    Hmmm… culture of death anyone? Would it occur to any of the library people that maybe, just maybe, what the children are READING are contributing to their anger? I am somewhat amused that the two most prominent “announcements” in the building were for vampire books and for anger management. Wonder if things would be different if we advertised saint books and unconditional love instead?

Scouting's Really Growing on Me

When we first started homeschooling the boys, one of my biggest concerns was physical activity. They’re active enough kids that even without sports or other outside activities, they’d still be getting their daily circulation boost just by running up and down stairs, chasing each other, jumping on beds, etc., etc.

Those first few years, dh put them in Tang Soo Do and that kept them occupied for a while. For several years they worked 3-4 times a week, memorizing forms, sparring, learning some Korean terminology, burning off steam, getting confident, etc. as they moved up the belt hierarchy. Even after we moved back to Cincinnati we still drove to Pennsylvania, back to their old school, until everyone could earn their black belts. So yeah, there’s 4 in the family. I got left behind as I stopped at yellow — karate’s just not my thing, and 7-yo was too little at the time to get started.

And then we moved here. No Tang Soo places nearby in the same organization, so dh and I were looking for SOMETHING for the boys to get involved in that would be good for them, and perhaps would fill in some gaps that were missing in our homeschooling. Enter scouting.

They started out in ‘06 as cub scouts, and my thinking at the time was that it was mostly fun stuff, some patriotic lessons, etc. but mostly just FUN. Which is probably how most cub scout programs are. They participated in Pinewood Derbies and popcorn sales. Those were the biggies if I remember correctly. Oh yeah, they also did some Thanksgiving baskets for the needy, which was really nice.

Our oldest son soon moved up to Boy Scouts and that’s when I started to see and really appreciate what Boy Scouting is all about. DH was a Boy Scout when he was younger so he was already sold. I had to be convinced that this was going to be a positive influence on our boys long-term. I’m all about long-term. Honestly I was also concerned that the kind of negative influence (in terms of icky peer pressure) we had been trying to avoid through homeschooling would be a natural part of the — in my eyes — secular world of Scouting. Boy, was I wrong.

Every single family in our Boy Scout troop is Christian. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who already knows that Scouting’s roots were Eagle projects and contributing their skills and talents to local parks, churches, etc.

Of course, the fact that dh took over as Scoutmaster after his predecessor resigned helps a lot. I have great faith in his capabilities as leader. He’s just made for this. Our children are just truly blest that they have a father that’s THIS involved. I used to resent the fact that they were spending so much time outside the home, but with prayers and discernment and, yes, seeing the fruits in our boys, I have been slowly convinced that Scouting is indeed a blessing. Every Boy Scout I’ve met in our son’s troop is respectful, confident, faith-filled and just — overall — kids their parents can be proud of. Scouting, for our family, is a huge investment in terms of time, money, energy, but so far, it has been truly worth it. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s one of the best organizations that work really well with homeschooling. One last plus: I hear that Scouting is a wonderful addition to one’s resume, and that the people that approve scholarships and jobs give high points to Scouts. Looks like we’ll be doing this for a long time still.

Today I made a new discovery — the Scouting website and, tadaaa!!! The Scout Shop!! Online! Perfect for Christmas shopping for all my scouts — adult and children alike.

____________________

I said “one last plus” but I just thought of another: Boy Scouts can also work towards Parvuli Dei and Ad Altare Dei emblems. This Catholic mom is mighty pleased by that.

Thirty Things for Thankful Thursday

So many things to be thankful for today:

1. the sun shining through our windows… beautiful day!!!
2. a baby being loud beside me, trying different consonants and vowels (current favorites: b, m, h, y)
3. kids who love to read
4. student home from college for a few more days
5. extended family members who love me/us unconditionally
6. friends who truly care
7. my Catholic homeschooling mom support system
8. food in the fridge, pantry, freezer
9. cars that run
10. clarity of mind
11. doctors who still practice real medicine (what my physician godmother calls “the art of medicine”)
12. classical music
13. my kids’ music
14. fall weather! (sunny but a bit chilly — my favorite kind!)
15. wool blankets
16. daughters who like working in the kitchen
17. funny picture books!
18. forgiveness
19. several loads of laundry already done — a couple more to do today
20. that feeling of accomplishment
21. organizations that help us/teach us how to give
22. the Blessed Sacrament
23. opportunity to spend time with Him in Adoration
24. faithful priests like Fr. Euteneuer, speaking tonight
25. Rooibos tea
26. a faithful God who’s always beside me
27. a faithful husband who’s always beside me
28. His saints, examples of lives well-lived
29. Dave Ramsey
30. Tim Hawkins

Migi's Reads, November

Pythons by Mary Ann McDonald
Badgers by Joan Kalbacken
Anacondas by Linda George
Rattlesnakes by Mary Ann McDonald
Hawks and Falcons by Maria Mudd Ruth
Hawks by Wayne Lynch
Hawaii Volcanoes by M.C. Hall
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Raptors by A Bobbie Kalman Book
The Middle Ages by Don Nardo
Future (DK Eyewitness) by Michael Tambini
The Middle Ages by Sarah Howarth
Hawks by Tom Warhol

Yena’s Reads, November

Pythons by Mary Ann McDonald ***
Badgers by Joan Kalbacken ****
Anacondas by Linda George ****
Rattlesnakes by Mary Ann McDonald ****