Strawberry Freezer Jam

We had an overabundance of strawberries again this year. We gave many away. I do not like the texture of frozen strawberries, and have little use for them, so we did not want to freeze any. Several years ago a friend gifted us with a jar of freezer jam, and Arthur raved about it. We use little jam, but I thought I would make some nonetheless, to try something new and to use up the strawberries. I was so green that when I went to buy a box of Sure Jell, I did not know why there were two different boxes, and after a superficial reading of both - I did not feel like spending half an hour reading and picking out boxes - I grabbed one and headed off to the rest of my shopping. When I got home I discovered that I had gotten Sure Jell for low-sugar jam. No big deal. Less sugar is fine with me. The box said my yield was expected to be six jars. I kept having to wash more jars, and by the time I was done I had 13 half pints ready for the freezer and refrigerator. Going back over the recipe I discovered that I had doubled the strawberries, and not the sugar. I was afraid that we would have very runny, tart jam, but it firmed sufficiently enough that we can spread it on our toast. It tastes fine. To make a long story short, half of the jars are gone. We like the freezer jam so much more than processed jams because the strawberries retain their bright red color. It is so much more appetizing looking than  processed jam, so we eat more.

I bought blueberries at Aldi's the other day because the price was so good. The price savings was not worth the time I had to spend picking off stems before I could make Arthur's blueberry muffins. Ciabatta buns are my Aldi's treat. I am also a sucker for their low priced chips and crackers. We go through so many eggs at our house that I can always pick up a carton of their very cheap eggs.

Yesterday's blessing from God was my three year old housekeeping helper. We swept and Swiffed the whole upstairs, singing and chatting as we worked. She talks non-stop, but it made the work fun. The work helps her to feel so grown up. Last night I put on my red/green glasses as we bowled on the kitchen floor, so I could count it as vision therapy.

I finished the 1,000 piece puzzle that Miss Ari and I started a couple of weeks ago. She did help with the edge pieces, but then gave up on it. I thought that would happen, but why argue? I debated  between leaving the last few pieces for her to finish when she gets home, or doing it myself. Myself won. Now I can get to bed on time.

Gotta get some sewing ready for Ari next week. I also have to sew some dolly diapers. I do not like having to wipe up Baby Alive dolly poop from the kitchen floor. The "disposable" dolly diapers are significantly more expensive than baby diapers, but the girls are fascinated with feeding the dolls. I like their maternal interests.  

Spring Flowers

This is my favorite time of year in the garden. The irises, cranesbill geranium and columbine are all in bloom, and I love all of the shades of purples together.

I am prepping for curbing around my flower beds. I chopped down the pussy willow, which, after reading up on pruning, I should have cut back years ago. It had turned into a bush with four or five sizeable trunks. I always wanted long stem of catkins for my sweetheart to cut for me in the spring, and instead my bush had turned into a sickly large shrub with very short branches of catkins. To get the long catkins, I should have been cutting it back to 6 - 12" each year. I had completely chopped down the forsythia a couple of years ago, but this year several branches of the forsythia grew out of my cranberry bush. The cranberry bush, forsythia and all, will have to be trimmed drastically to make room for the curbing crew. One of my lilac bushes will also need to be trimmed out of the way. Fortunately, the lilac season is coming to an end. The lilacs, too, are supposed to have one fourth of the oldest canes removed each year, so that will come to little harm. We have already banked up the area next to the chimney where the rain water bucket sits. That spot has been a point of contention between me and Arthur since I put in the water bucket. We both hope the extra soil will aid drainage away from the wall of the house and prevent seepage into the basement. Next year we will purchase a new, larger container for holding rain water. The last job is to finish digging out the limestone rock in the front of the house and to fill that area with compost. We are blessed to have friends who want the rock so that we do not have to pay to dispose of it.

I spent yesterday afternoon shopping for plants for the gardens at St. John Cantius and for my two patio pots here. I went to six different nursery and plant centers before I found everything that I needed. I found none of my sky blue petunias, my signature flower. Today I get to plant and weed. I get to prune rose bushes, too, in preparation for the Corpus Christi procession on Sunday.

Over the weekend I was at a Mothers Leadership Conference at Schoenstatt in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I went with the intention that I would get some oomph into my Schoenstatt Covenant life at home. I did not come home with a spiritual "high". I did come home with the need to ask the Blessed Mother to put all that I heard into my heart in a way that I can understand it. I was feeling very overwhelmed by the time the weekend was over. I had cried during confession, which is not exactly unusual for me. I also cried during the closing mass. I am embarrassed by the tears, but I am learning to accept them as part of my melancholic temperament. I had asked the Blessed Mother to help me to know what books I should bring home, and through the help of my Schoenstatt sisters that request was fulfilled. I also plan to follow a suggestion given by Sister Marie Day.  A simple method to experience God's love for me personally is to write down one way that God has touched me each day, such as a smile from someone. After many recordings, I can look back and see all of the ways He has shown His love for me, and thus be able to internalize that love.  

Palm Weaving and Palm Braiding

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We celebrated with a class on palm braiding at St. Anthony's Church in St. Cloud, taught by instructor Lois Maciej, and sponsored  by St. Anthony Council Catholic United Financial. The class was wonderful. Our instructor was most reverent, reminding us that the palms had been blessed, and that she had a bag for collecting palm snippets for burning. She was also most patient, taking the time to help each of us individually with our projects. We learned a folded cross (not pictured), the fan, the cone, two roses, and my favorite, the crown of thorns. My completed projects are pictured below.

The fan, the cone, a four strand rose and a five strand rose. 

The four strand rose, top view.

The cone.

The crown of thorns. Ecce homo!

Amazing!

Yesterday I gave blood at Holy Spirit. I had been at the hospital until 5:00 AM, and I was concerned that I would have a repeat of the clotting I had in my last attempt at blood donation, also following a hospital vigil. I decided to pop two sticks of the new Shaklee Performance low calorie Hydrate into a glass of water. I drank it down, and then added another glass of water. During the donation the phlebotomist commented that I must drink a lot of water. I filled the bag in record time, five minutes and 20 seconds! I was very impressed. I will have to remember the Hydrate again next time.

New York Style Cheese Cake Success

It has been quite the week.

Last Friday I made another trip to Eden Valley with the cat. third time in about as many months. She still has a yeast infection in her ear. This time I am back to putting drops in her ears twice a day for a week. At least it is not as many drops as the first time I had to do it. Struggling to drug the cat is never my favorite activity. Dr. Perry did show me how to wrap her in a towel. She said that I still  would not have much time to work with the cat (I don't!), but it might help. This morning I did it while Gracie was in her basket, and it was not so traumatic for either of us.

Then came Saturday, and confession. I have not had tears for quite some time, but every once in awhile the scrupulosity still rears its ugly head. I am so thankful for my patient confessor. This past Saturday things were back to normal, and even changed a little bit. I had finished reading Vinny Flynn's Seven Secrets of Confession last week, and found in it a repetition of Father's admonition to see confession as an encounter with Christ and His Mercy. After confession, and again during mass, I prayed particularly to see these two sacraments as encounters with Him.

Then Saturday evening. I had to bake some things for our Catholic United Financial meeting on Sunday. First was the banana bread. I have made that recipe many times, but I was distracted. I ended up doubling the amount of water when I mixed my buttermilk. I scraped it into the pan and hoped for the best. Afterwards I was thinking that I could have added a tablespoon of coconut flour to absorb the extra liquid, but it was already in the oven. It was very moist, but edible. Then I baked a nut bread from the St. Peter's parish cookbook. I thought that had turned out well, but the next morning when I cut it open I had a large hollow spot and raw dough. That got tossed out for the birds. Then I made a blueberry coffee cake, standard recipe out of my Betty Crocker cook book. It was a cinch to make, but the pan was very shiny, so it took an extra half an hour to bake. I was very nervous about cutting that open for fear it would be raw, too. It was okay. Aggie had called to say that she was bringing bars, but with the bread out of the picture and the banana bread and coffee cake iffy, I was worried that I might have to make a trip to Kwik Trip for doughnuts. We survived. Actually, I almost polished off the rest of the coffee cake on Sunday afternoon because it was so good.

Fast forward to Tuesday. I made blueberry muffins for Arthur's breakfasts, and this time, intending to sneak some white whole wheat flour into the mix, I got distracted and left out the second cup of flour. These muffins fell apart very easily, but were really, really tasty because they were mostly sugar and butter!

Then there was the cheese cake. Twice I had the cream cheese out to warm to room temperature. Twice it went back into the refrigerator. First, I had to run into town to pick up a spring form pan. The next day I discovered that I was missing the required whipping cream. Third day I finally got it baked. We polished the last of it off today. It was very good. We ate it without any toppings, and I have to say that the toppings would have been a distraction to the rich, tangy flavor. Husband says that if lent were not approaching, I would have to make another one right away! Disasters redeemed! Here is the recipe which I used: New York Style Cheese Cake

Then there were the disasters in my sewing room. More feed dog jams with the polyester bias tape for the gift roll, and for the hem on Mom's old blanket. I ended up having to take the bobbin case apart to  get it running again, and then it took me forever to put it back together again. I used to pride myself on knowing the innards of my sewing machine, but I needed to pray for patience on this one. Then I thought I would sew the hem on the dress I bought for Maja at Once Upon a Child, and no matching thread. It will have to wait. But I did get the edge of my vintage tablecloth apron hemmed.

All of these things have me smiling because they were such disasters. I guess that is God's way of teaching me patience, and giving me something to offer up.

I was able to finish Presenting Miss Jane Austen (May Lamberton Becker, Bethlehem Bookds) his week. I had difficulty understanding the first part of the book, but upon completion I have an image of Jane as being a very sweet and kindly person whom I presume was also good. It seems that she would be a good person to emulate. I have so many other books on my plate that I am not ready to pick up Pride and Prejudice  or Northanger Abbey right now, but after reading Mrs. Becker's book, I am sure that I will understand them better than I did when I read Pride and Prejudice  in high school. I have seen several of the PBS movies of her books, but I do not think the pace of movies capable of capturing all of the nuances of the books.

I attended another Shaklee meeting on Saturday. I was able to test the new Build product made with grass-fed whey. I also tested the old product, formerly Physique, which is soy, and banana flavored. I have been using the Energizing Soy Protein, but Physique is a blend of protein and carbohydrates, which is a much better choice for after exercise. It helps build and maintain lean muscle mass. We also had a little bit of a discussion on the amount of protein needed daily. Other countries recommend higher levels of protein than what is recommended here. That makes me less worried about getting too much protein, or giving too much protein to the girls when they are here.

Two more days to pray to see what it is that I should do for lent.

Now, off to watch Victoria.

On UFO's, Bread and Other Things

Much as I had intended, I only completed one of  the sewing projects which I started a couple of months ago. On Saturday afternoon  I did do some sewing on a nearly  complete project, only to have a clog in my feed dog. Polyester twill tape is not nearly as nice to work with as cotton. I will probably end up having to cut a new piece. Then I will wait until the iron is hot enough to press the hem nice and tight before I sew it down. Hopefully that will do the trick. That completed, I can go back to finish the second of the two of these rolls which I cut out at the same time. I cannot give more details since one is a gift item. The other is for me.

I also dug through a yarn bin and selected a red wool for a triangular shawl pattern, just to do something with the yarn. I had originally selected that yarn for a scarf pattern, but thought it would be too itchy around someone's neck. People are no longer accustomed to wearing wool, and no longer require it for warmth. I am enjoying knitting a complex pattern again, although I have spent much time ripping and re-knitting. The count must be perfect, and I have forgotten how to rip with loads of yarn overs and psso's. It is a project which will need to be completed without the distraction of television. I will need to remain very faithful to my marker. I so envy the women who can chart the increases for such patterns. It requires more thought from me than I am willing to give. 

On top of that I picked up a completed baptismal gown from Rose so that I can start a new batch for CUF. I am waiting for my new JoAnn flyer so that I can use a coupon for the fabric. The cutting will be no big deal, but a couple of us are not fond of the basting. I was hoping to modify the pattern to eliminate the basting, but Fr. Tom likes the current style. Once I have the fabric and have done the cutting, I can check to see if anyone is willing to serge the edges, and eliminate the need for the  basting. The embroidered edge which Rose has done is very pretty, but that, too, requires someone with the machine capable of doing it. Mine lacks that capacity.

I tried two new bread recipes, Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread, and Wheat Pecan Bread, both recipes from King Arthur Flour. I was a bit shocked at the amount of sugars in the first bread. Way more than I prefer. I was also leery of the cinnamon. However, it is a very soft bread, and the cinnamon makes it smell like cinnamon rolls, so Arthur liked it. I liked the softness, too. Next time I think I will make it without the cinnamon, since I do not care for that flavor in sandwiches. Also, I will add the yeast just after the oatmeal soak cools down, before adding any flour. I made the wheat pecan loaf  by hand instead of using a bread machine. I thought I would appreciate the protein from the nuts, but even chopped, they require too much chewing. I prefer my nuts in salads, brownies or cookies.

Gracie and I are off to the vet again this week. Her ear is infected, and then the vet will draw a urine sample to complete the testing recommended at our last visit. We need to know if she has kidney  malfunction, or if she only had a urinary tract infection. We are spending more on vet bills than we like, but a new cat is not cheap, either, and Gracie's personality is quite entertaining.

Arthur and I ordered a whole slew of books two weeks ago. He ordered two from Fred's assignment list, while I ordered Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons, Taylor Marshall's Sword and Serpent, and Terry Beatley's What If We've Been Wrong?. Every time I buy a book Arthur says, "You've finished all of your other  books, right?" No, I have not. I am working on them, however. I have made good progress on Chesterton's book on Aquinas, and another of our juvenile books on Jane Austen is my vision therapy reading. Perhaps when the vision therapy is done, I will be able to read as fast as he. On the other hand, his books are not interrupted by embroidery and knitting projects!

One of my absolute favorite products from Shaklee has returned again - Scour Off  Paste, a.k.a. bubblegum paste, or the pink stuff, at our house. Wahoo! Shaklee had to look for a new manufacturer after the previous manufacturer retired. I go through tons of the paste since I use it on my stove top. Arthur also uses it to clean the fireplace glass.

Barbie Dolls

As I signed off of the computer last night, I realized that I had not said a word about my Christmas shopping experience, and the new Barbie.

Let me start with a disclaimer. I know that some parents do not wish for their children to play with Barbie dolls because they are too sexy. I recall a woman on the news some twenty years ago who had a doll made in more realistic proportions so that children would not feel pressured into having the "perfect" but impossible and unhealthy Barbie figure. In a video popular on Facebook a couple of years ago, a woman from Australia, if I remember correctly, took second-hand Barbie and Spice Girl dolls and repainted them with the most beautiful children's faces, and had her mother knit new jumpers for them, making them look like real children instead of dis-proportioned women. Her work was wonderful, and I would have been tickled pink to get hold of one of her remakes. Even more would I have loved to be able to do the same doll makeovers myself.  But I love Barbie myself, from the beautiful hair, clothes and detailed accessories. At least until the hair is undone, and the clothes removed and never easily returned exactly to factory condition. On the sexiness, I think back to my days of playing with Barbie. Yes, we saw her as sexy, and we made our own sexy wedding dresses for her out of Kleenex. On the other hand, I had a little niece describe her as having "things like a mother", and that put a whole new perspective on Barbie. A child's environment does made a difference in attitude.

Swing back to the present. I was looking for Baby Alive dolls for my two  granddaughters for Christmas. After looking on line, I decided to stop at Walmart to see what they had on the shelves. (Now Walmart is a whole blog entry on its own. I far prefer Shopko, but I had already seen their sparse doll aisle.) Walmart had exactly what I needed, a mid-price Baby Alive in dolls with two different hair colors, one for each of the girls. Then I skipped over to the next aisle to get an idea for someone's birthday. All kinds of Barbies. Farm Barbie with plaid shirt, faded jeans and white hen. Teacher Barbie. Veterinarian  Barbie. Camping Barbie. Farm animal veterinarian Barbie. Hair dresser Barbie. Dentist Barbie. Chef Barbie. Fahionista Barbie and Ken. So many choices! When the girls are at our house they like playing with the Stacie high chair which came with a kitchen Barbie, and the little dog which came with a dog walking Barbie, so I zeroed in on sets with kids (Stacy and Chelsea) and sets with animals. I rejected the set with a dog having puppies, which had been my first choice. The way the package showed the movements of the dog was too suggestive and crude, even though the dogs only came out of the stomach. The top on camping Barbie was too low cut for me, and the price for buying all of the separate figures to make a family too pricey. I finally picked a dog washing Barbie.

My shopping left me with some good feelings, and some negative feelings. First, I was very happy to see a young boy doll in the camping series, just as I love to see Ken, Stacie, and Chelsea. In the "olden days", Skipper, and then Stacie and Chelsea were described as Barbie's sisters, but they can just as easily be converted to her children with Ken as her husband rather than boyfriend. A young boy rounds out the family image. Second, I thought that over all, the clothes portrayals of Barbie as professional woman have become much more modest, loosing some of the sexiness that Barbie always represented. The down side was that the clothes seem to be very cheaply made, and they have lost much of the fine detailing which Barbie clothes and accessories used to have. Chalk it up to safety, or cheapened imports, I am not sure which to blame. At any rate, the clothes I saw looked like versions of the clothes we made as children, straight  pieces with holes cut out for the arms, only now, with some serging around the edges instead of pinking! If you have vintage clothes, hang onto them! Their quality was so much better! Also, we had bendable Barbie with smooth legs and skin. The new bend-ables have visible joints such as were on the GI Joe doll of old. Very unsightly! My other complaint was that Barbie and company are now made in different sizes, some quite large, so that I could not tell if the Fashionista Barbie and Ken were in proportion to the Barbies in the other sets. That makes it hard to have purchases which fit together.

After a very long time in the doll aisle, I finally made my choices for our birthday gift. A bit disappointed, but on the other hand, I can't help but think that I will go back at some point and get the rock climbing Barbie for someone else, "just because". It would be a great keep-sake. Had I seen it earlier, it would have made a great surprise Christmas gift.

Hope for the Future of Christendom

I just finished reading Fingal's Quest (Madeleine Polland, Savio Books, San Jose, California, 1997). This is a reprint from Doubleday and Company, originally written in 1961. The setting is sixth century Ireland and France. A group of Irish monks, including St. Columban, head from Ireland to re-Christianize a France which has become Christian in name only after the barbarian invasions. Yes, sixth century, and  Christian in name only within a few centuries of St. Martin of Tours. Christianity has waned in the past, just as it appears to be waning in Europe and the United States now.  But the waning has  been followed by waxing. Who knows but that in another fifty or hundred years, America will be re-evangelized by Christians from Africa and India, and perhaps even Russia. I found the book to be such a sign of great hope.

We had another Catholic United Financial meeting on Tuesday, and I came home feeling good about all of the things which we accomplished. In December we updated our by-laws lickety split.  Yesterday, thanks to our treasurer's computerized report, we were also able to audit the books in record time. We also voted on a mission statement, planned our February meeting, and set our schedule for the rest of the year, cancelling all but three more meetings. I caught up with the pastoral associate and stewardship committee chair to discuss the MinisTree program, touched  base with the custodial staff on hanging our charter and award plaques, and updated our schedule with the parish secretary. Lots of work done. Now, to re-type our by-laws, write some bulletin announcements, enter the rest of our information into the computer for our annual report and bake some goodies for our February meeting, and I can sit back and relax until it is time to do the newsletter. That, of course, will depend on how quickly we get our funds from the home office. I feel like there is hope for the future of our local council. I did not feel this good last fall!

Yesterday afternoon I was battling a very topsy-turvy stomach. I suspect Maja's little virus from the girls' visit this past week-end, although one can never tell. I went to bed early yesterday and slept much of the day today. Throughout the day today I ate saltines and English muffins, and drank only Shaklee Performance and Stomach Soothing Complex. I had a bit of Dinty Moore Beef Stew for dinner, but no leftover cake. Perhaps tomorrow. 

First Sunday of Advent

Happy first Sunday of Advent! I was tired of our old advent wreath, which was full of wax, and poorly decorated by myself a few years ago. I looked at the prices of advent wreaths at the St. Cloud Bookshop, and thought, no way we could spend money on a new one. I removed all of the old decorations from the old one, flicked off all of the wax, spent $8 on a roll of ribbon from JoAnn's (I told you I had spent an arm and a leg for just a few items the other day!), and here it is. The best I could do were four small bows. I like this much better than it had been. I know that I will have to replace the decorations next year after the candles drip all over. I did freeze the candles in the hopes that they will burn longer. Not sure if that is an old wives' tale or not. I was out of Candle Stick 'em, but with the help of a clerk at Crafts Direct, I was able to find a new product, Tacky Wax, to hold the tapers in place for safety.

I have the fabric cut for five projects downstairs. The Christmas letter will have to wait. I am heading downstairs to sew.

Hand Made with Love

I stopped at Joann Fabrics today to pick up some odds and ends for some gifts I am making. I was in sticker shock when I left. I spent the entire $40 which I had taken out of the credit union "just in case". All I purchased were spools of ribbon, rick-rack, a couple of zippers, a yard of fabric, and a new plastic bobbin box. I was not able to get twill tape or even the grosgrain ribbon substitute in the sizes that I needed. I also did not find a hook for my newly painted crucifix, or stained glass paint. I sure hope you appreciate hand-made gifts when you receive them. They are far from cheap.

That said, I finally made it to the basement last night to do some cutting for said projects. I discovered that I had fewer fun fat quarters on hand than I thought. I must have given most of them away when I purged fabric last year. I have mostly solids on hand, not exactly the bright and cheerful prints which I saw at my class on Monday. I know I had been collecting solids to go with some of the weird second-hand fabrics which I have cut into quilt squares over the years. One thing at a time. I can buy matching prints as I complete projects.

I had a victory of sorts last night as I did vision therapy exercises. For a flash I saw in 3D while doing the Life Saver exercise. That gives me hope that I will continue to improve.

We had another sunny day, so I spent part of the afternoon cutting back perennials in my flower beds at home. I like to keep a few things up for landscape interest in the winter, and experts recommend leaving plant die-back for animal and insect habitat over winter. I do not like spring clean-up, however. 

I finished the second book of Rebecca Caudill's Fairchild series last night. The main character is Bonnie, the youngest of the Fairchild children. Every incident in the book includes the reactions of each of Bonnie's siblings in order of age from oldest to the youngest. In doing so, the author captures the feelings of a youngest child. I am sure many youngest children would empathize! Iwish that I knew the melodies for the many songs included in the story. My guess is that a first or second grader would enjoy the books.

Cyber Monday Class

I spent the afternoon at Just Sew Studio, formerly Associated Sewing. We learned how to make infinity scarves out of a woven fabric and out of a knit, and then a faux bias scarf. It was good to get out and do something creative and meet new people. The store has changed a bit since the last class I took several years ago. They now have a more extensive line of fabrics. The sample projects scattered around the store were made of warm and cheerful colors. I did buy a Terri Atkinson pattern for clutch/cosmetic bags, and the fusible fleece needed to complete three of them. It will be a start at using up some of my fabric collection. We had company on Saturday, so the house is clean. We are having leftovers for dinner, and I made cookies for my husband's lunches this evening. That means I can spend tomorrow sewing. I can throw some wash in at the same time, as long as I use only the washer or the dryer while my iron is plugged in. I am ready to go.

I took a short walk when I got home from class, and then another with Arthur after dinner. I like our evening walks, perhaps even  better in the dark of winter. I do not always get to go, depending on how many dishes I have to clean up after supper, and what other chores must be done. I am starting to have pain in my knees, which cause I do not know. It could be weight, lack of exercise, or arthritis. Time will tell. I may be able to tell in a few days after doing some of my physical therapy exercises again. I may start on Shaklee Joint Health Complex to rule out arthritis.

I am transitioning Gracie over to a dry food meant for cats susceptible to UTI's. Of course, she loves her dry food. Right now I am using it as "treats" until the canned food is gone.

I have about three hours of eye therapy to complete each evening if I do my syntonics with both sets of colors, as my therapist wanted. I notice that I can only do polorized reading after syntonics. Otherwise I cannot make out the printing.                   

Purgatory and Hungry Souls

I just finished this book from Tan Books (2009). It was a good read. I purchased it while I was working at Archangel Books and Gifts, and Arthur of course had it read sometime way back when. It caught my attention because of the many photographs it contained  of burn marks left by souls who had visited the living in hopes of obtaining spiritual relief from their sufferings. The author also caught my eye. I had met Gerard van den Aardweg several years earlier at a Human Life International conference held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our meeting was memorable first because he was an excellent speaker on matters relating to homosexuality, and second, because after the talk we asked him a personal question. I wrote down his name, which he had to spell for me. As I wrote he said, "W", not "V". I had to explain that my very narrow "W" was in fact a "W". So much for my illegible handwriting! As a Vandeberg, I also felt a kinsman ship for this man who is from the Netherlands.

In addition to photographs from the Museum of Purgatory, the book also has some beautiful pictures of the Church of the Sacred Heart of the Suffering Souls in Rome. The church is dwarfed by the two buildings on either side, and yet it is a substantial structure replete with Gothic spires. The fiery paintings inside led me to believe that it would be a quiet, somewhat subdued, dark and yet warm place to pray. I would love to visit that church.

Mr. van den Aarweg made an interesting speculation in the book, namely that we may be surrounded by the souls of those who have died without knowing it due to our lack of holiness.

My emotions changed as I read the book. At first I felt very grateful for the gift of purgatory. I could see how much I would want to be purified before entering into the Beatific Vision, because God is so good, and I am not. As I completed it I hoped that the book would give me some impetus to live a holier, sacrificial life in order to avoid the horrible pains of purgatory.

I had prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet so much with my mom when she died, that after she died, it felt as if she was still present. We also had Gregorian masses offered for her, as Arthur had done for his dad. I shall continue to pray for my parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends. We never know how long a soul has to remain in purgatory. We do know from some of these apparitions and from Lucia at Fatima, that some souls will remain there until the end of time.

We hope that there is someone who will remember to pray for us and have masses said for us when we are gone. When the first of us dies, it will be time to set aside money to be used for masses for the repose of the soul of the second. Even better is our continuation of masses offered as we are yet alive.

I continue to battle a bad cough or bronchitis. I had been taking Mucinex to loosen the cough. However, I am developing a rash on my chest just like the one I had last Christmas. I am thinking guaifenesin is the culprit. I had had bronchitis prior to last year's rash, and had been using Mucinex then, too. Another reason to stick to my Shaklee.

Geri and I have spread my vision therapy to three week intervals. Meanwhile I have tons of exercises to do, with syntonics twice a day. Makes me wonder what I would do were I working full time. Not that I would ever be able to take that much time off for therapy sessions, unless I were on disability.

I bought a bunch more cookie cutters at Accent yesterday. My favorite is the doe. I love the ugly sweater cookie decorating idea that our friends the Pedersons do every year at Christmas, but the sweater cutter is huge, too much cookie for little grandchildren. I will wait until they are older.

Stamping Fun

I have been having fun stamping again.It all started because I have to send out a few cards and letters, and have to have the appropriate sentiments, and the necessary space to write what needs to be written. I have had the Stampin' Up Thankful for You set for a couple of years, but have barely used it. Now I can say that I have gotten my money's worth. I am really enjoying monochromatic designs since I got the Bold Brights DSP collection. I am ready to start stamping gifts for Christmas.

This afternoon I cleaned flower beds at St. John Cantius. I should have known better than to expect that the ground would not be frozen. I could not pull out a single annual. Still, I filled up an entire  contractor's bag full of compost. The Russian Sage is the bulkiest, and my highest priority in fall chores. It is the one plant I want cut back before new growth begins in the spring. The cat nip sent me into a coughing fit. It is quite the irritant for me. While fall or spring clean-up is the least favorite of my garden duties, it does have its rewards. I was in heaven with the scent of the rosemary from the Mary Garden. I cut several of the frozen stems to bring home. My hands smelled wonderful afterwards. Also very fragrant was the cranes bill geranium. Interesting to see that the stems on that plant grow exactly the way annual geraniums grow. I thought the dianthus which I planted this summer was an annual, but they are still as green as other perennials, so I let them be. It will be very cool if they come back next spring.  I am sure the four o'clocks did a good job of seeding themselves, and that I will see them again next spring.

The building inspector from the city was out this morning to measure our deck. I am sure that means that our taxes will increase. The deck and the new flooring sure increased our home insurance.

My goal between now and Christmas is to get a handle on some of my long in the works sewing projects, and to make a substantial dent in my rosary bead supply. It just requires some discipline to not make any new purchases until the old purchases are used up. Not only will it help to de-junk the house, but it will also feel good to know that I have exercised good stewardship over our household income.

More on Books

It has been so long since I have posted that I got a bit long-winded the other day. At the same time, I realized I did not get to write about Hilda van Stockum or Graham Greene.

At any rate, this past summer I read through the three Mitchells books from Hilda van Stockum; The Mitchells: Five for Victory, Canadian Summer, and Friendly Gables. I had a great time. Nothing makes for relaxation better than a good children's novel or two. The first was written at a time when most American families had servants or hired hands of some sort. My grandmother was a hired hand with my grandfather's family within a decade of when the story takes place. I liked the Mitchell children because they reflected both the naughtiness and goodness of children everywhere. The Mitchell family started with four children and grew by three more by the time the books ended. Other families in the books were larger, reflecting the time when children were perceived as a good, and not a burden. At one point Joan remarked that she wished she came from a family of 16! Her parents and the parents of neighbors were loving, confident and competent. I was reading a book on St. Marguerite Bourgeoys at the same time that I read Friendly Gables, which was very cool because they talked about her in Friendly Gables. I learned just a tad more about Canadian history and custom, and got an insight into the influence of Catholic culture in Quebec. Hilda van Stockum had some lovely descriptions of seasons and landscapes in her work. I am not accustomed to marking books, but I may go back and copy a few parts into my old nature journal. Those portions would be perfect for dictation or copy assignments for penmanship.

I also did not get to mention another book which elicited great sensual response when I read it, Grahame Greene's The Wind in the Willows. It has been many years, but shortly after reading it a group to which I belonged was writing a cook-book, and I submitted quotes from the book for inclusion, so strong were my reactions. The two parts I still remember were the places where Mole is talking about hot buttered toast, and then when he reminisces about his own home with the smell of sausages and onions hanging from the ceiling. Oh, but did I ever feel like eating when I read those passages! No television commercial or adulterated junk food needed. What a way with words.

Arthur and I took an hour's  walk around Quarry Park Nature Reserve today. The sun refused to come out, but it was still pleasant. We were alone except for in the parking lot. We came very close to a young, white tailed deer. The smell of leaf mold was heavy in the air. Not a good place for people with allergies!

From Mitford to Father Tim, and the Influence of Books

Having read the last of the Mitford books, I delved into the last Jan Karon book which I had at home, In the Company of Others. This book is the second of the Father Tim novels. I 'fess that I tossed it into the fireplace after finishing it. I did not like the way the Catholic Church and the sacrament of confession were presented in the story. First, instead of confiding in their own priest, the Catholics in the story turned to Father Tim for counsel and solace. Second, at the end of the story when a Catholic character was on her deathbed, the sacramental confession which she made was done in  public and in a very vague and incomplete fashion. Last I heard, confessions have not been public for almost 2,000 years, never mind the seal of confession for which a priest is excommunicated if he breaks it. The seal extends to anyone who accidentally overhears a confession. The character had not gone to church for years, and the only thing she could think of confessing was how she had hurt people with her anger. Nothing about the offenses she committed against God by refusing to attend mass or make her annual Easter duty of confession and reception of Holy Communion. I get that it is just a book, but I doubt that anyone who really believes what the Church teaches would describe a confession in such a manner. As a Protestant, Jan Karon showed her ignorance as to what confession really is.

That off  my chest, later in the summer I found a second hand copy of the first Father Tim novel, Home to Holly Springs. This was a quick and easy read, but not nearly as enjoyable as the Mitford books. It did have a few twists  and turns unveiling Father Tim's past and his relationship with his father, but as I read the story was so incredible that I felt like I was watching episodes of 24 or NCIS. It got tiresome.

Of both series of books, I must say that I liked the Mitford books the best. The Mitford characters have a certain warmth and realness about them, and I like the way that faith and prayer are presented in their lives. They have been good examples of what a prayer life can be.

The Karon books have also piqued my interest in certain foods. I can do without Cynthia's lemon bars, and my husband would not like Fr. Tim's baked ham because of the sauce on top, but Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake sounds interesting. I also had to clip a recipe for pimento cheese out of the St. Cloud Times when I saw it last week. It'll surely add pounds to my hips, but  I have to try it. It will be my lunch today.

My little reader and I started the complete Winnie the Pooh book this summer. I have never read the book before, only seen parts of it on television. Rabbit is a gentler, kinder character in the book when Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's hole.

My little listener and I have been reading Beatrix Potter, which I like far better than Pooh. I love the personifications, from Hunca Munca's feeling the need to make restitution, to the foxy gentleman, and to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's complaining about not being able to get the smell of onions out of   Mrs. Rabbit's "handkersniff". Lucie's "pocket handkins" and "pinny" remind me so much of Miss Maria and her "mantis". Delightful.

Vsion Therapy continues. I am suddenly not feeling dizzy anymore. I am feeling eye twitches which seem to mimic the alternate wink muscles. No more "Drunk Lady" exercies, a.k.a. Doll's Eye Finger Touches this week. We had loads of fun with those last week.     

Vision Therapy

Once again trying to chug my wonderful Shaklee Energizing Tea so that I can go to Communion at noon mass. That sure hit the spot.

I am still battling vertigo whenever I tip my head back, or when I move ever so slightly in bed. After months of physical therapy my doctor and I are guessing that it is visual in root. Time will tell. I have been patching my right, crossed eye for an hour a day since my last eye appointment. The vision therapist says the patching will increase acuity in that eye, but patching alone without any additional therapy will have no lasting effect. As soon as the patching stops, the acuity reverts back to a lower level. I am looking forward to the therapy. I am particularly hoping it will make driving more comfortable.

We had a second estimate for a deck yesterday. Minnesota Home Improvement is much more in line with what we had planned on spending. He will do a computer model of our plan so that we  can tweak the details, and then go from there. We plan on going with maintenance-free decking materials. I had hoped to have a company from Glenwood come and give estimates for a concrete border for my flower bed, but that will probably be put on hold until next summer.

I was planning on going outside to do some weeding in my flower bed after mass this afternoon, but the sun has dipped behind the clouds. I can still go out. It just will not be as pleasant.

I am on a mission to get in half an hour of exercise daily, not only for weight control, but also for overall health. The heart doctor had recommended a sleep apnea test. My primary care doctor affirmed the need, saying that sleep apnea is a trigger for both stroke and heart attack. If I do indeed have sleep apnea, resolving it may also improve my depression.

I finished two easy-to-read books in the last two weeks, a book on Fatima from Tradition, Family and Property, and another on Mother Gabrielle Bitterlich, the mother of Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. While I have heard a great deal about Fatima, this book gave me an accurate time-line of the various visions of the children, and then Lucia. Timely for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions. Arthur had had a large collection of books on Fatima, so when the Catholic Singles were here for the movie, we put many of them out for people to take. Those that no one took we put out at church. So nice to have a little  bit of extra room on our book shelves. Not to mention that books do no good if no one is reading them. The book on Mother Gabrielle was a good overview of the origins of Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. Now I can put that aside and work on my reading for Schoenstatt. I am very excited that our Schoenstatt Mothers group is starting again, and with a few new members. I hope my fervor will continue with renewed prayer and striving. Books must not only be read, but applied, in order for them to do any good!

Next major project is to get the basement de-junked. That will involve some ironing, and some sewing projects.

Of Books and Things

Half of my cup of chamomile and lavender tea is gone, and I am just beginning to type. The tea was supposed to be my excuse to sit down at the computer, meaning that I have other chores which also need to be done.

I have finished four books since my last post. I started out by reading Big John's Secret by Eleanore Jewett, an Ignatius Press Bethlehem Books reprint. I am not a ten year old, but I did not care for this book. It did express tender emotions in John's love for Marm, his friend Reynold, and the Lady Alicia. The book ended with John's fictitious encounter with St. Francis of Assissi in the Holy Land. Over all, however, the plot was far-fetched. I followed this with The Hidden Treasure of Glaston, also by Eleanore Jewett. I liked this book much better. The Hidden Treasure was an adventure story with an interesting mix of truth and fiction. It also showed a tender relationship between friends Hugh and Dickon. The young oblate Dickon took the abandoned Hugh under his wing. Dickon reveals to Hugh a secret cavern on the monastery grounds, which eventually leads them to the discovery of King Arthur and Guinevere's tomb. This was an exciting read which was hard to put down. Tales of King Arthur logically led me to another book which has been on our shelf for years, Hugh Ross Williamson's The Flowering Hawthorn, a Neumann Press reprint. A quick read, the historical references already alluded to in The Hidden Treasure of Glaston. After that I had to do an internet search of Glastonbury Abbey. Here is a neat link with gorgeous pictures:

 http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/

After Glastonbury I picked up Barbara Willard's Augustine Goes to Kent, another Ignatius Press Bethlehem Books volume from our home school days. When Anne did a book report on this book years ago, I was confused because I thought it would be about Augustine of Canturbury, and she did not even make reference to him. The title really is a misnomer since Augustine is a minor character in the book. This book gave some insight into what post-Roman occupation, pre-Christianized England might have looked like. It also had romance, and strong female characters.

All of this reading came on the heels of a severe allergic reaction at Christmas time. I made the mistake of going to the doctor for a rash to make sure it was not contagious. The PA put me on Prednisone and Benadryl. After almost a week in bed with no improvement, I decided to dump the Prednisone. Within a day the rash had changed to a lighter shade of dark beet red. I must have been allergic to the Prednisone. I decided to swallow the cost and go for the Shaklee cure, which is what I should have done in the first place. I headed to my up-line and loaded up on Shaklee Healthy Cleanse, Nutriferon, Enfuselle Calming Complex and Enfuselle Shower Gel. I am happy to say that although I am not following the Healthy Cleanse regimen as Shaklee now recommends, I am healing very well. After a Basic H bath the rash turned into peeling skin, as though it had been a mass of minny pustules which had broken open. It looked very much like the second stage of a sunburn. Besides my torso, back and thighs, the skin around my eyes and later my face had also burned, and then peeled. For a few days it looked as if I had been the victim of domestic abuse. Between the Calming Complex and Enfuselle Hand and Body lotion, the peeling subsided, and the redness began to fade.

Meanwhile, I went to the heart center for my tilt table test. It was a bigger ordeal than I thought it would be. First, my appointment sheet said that I was to be there at 8:00 AM. After I was changed and hooked up to the monitor, the nurse informed me that my test was actually scheduled for 9:30. That time came and went. Next we were told that the previous test had taken longer than expected, so we would have to wait. Husband and I were  sure glad that we each had books with us. I had finshed my book before they finally came to get me at noon. The purpose of the tilt table is to make the patient faint. I was not conscious of the fact that I had fainted, In my mind I only thought I felt like I was going to faint. But I actually did. (Test aced! I have orthostatic hypotension.). I cried when I got back to my room to recover because I felt so weak. The PA told me that my blood pressure had dipped to the 50's. My heart also raced more than was expected during the test. The PA also told me that my heart monitor had shown an increase in heart rate during my dizzy episodes. The upswing is that I went home with a prescription for two medications, and the recommendation for compression socks, a.k.a. old lady socks.

A week later I dumped the prescription meds because I was having almost every side effect listed on the pharmacy insert. My compression socks came in the mail yesterday, and I wore them for the first time today.  My legs hurt for the greater part of the day, but now they seem to be adjusting.

What an adventure!

Another Use for Basic H

Another three weeks left to go on the heart monitor. I think it is a waste, but the cardiovascular department insists upon it before I have the tilt table test. And so the vertigo diagnostic saga continues. The adhesives from the electrode pads have left my skin red and raw. (If I am not mistaken, Shakespeare used those very words in his poem about winter!) I have even passed on the band-aid like patches which I am supposed to use over the electrodes and wires, to reduce the break-down, but it has helped  very little. The hospital put some Med Sol wipes in my pouch for wiping off the adhesive when I change pads, but the little 1.5"x 2" wipes do not do much, and smell like Goo-Be-Gone. This morning in desperation I whipped out my bottle of Basic H to use after the wipe. I know that the Shaklee Corporation says Basic H is not tested for use on skin, but hey, I am from the generation that used dish detergent for bubble bath. I am sure that Basic H is safer than Ivory Liquid, Dove, or Dawn! I have to say that Basic H is easier to use in the bathtub than as a wash in the shower, since it does not suds well. I shall have to use it on a wash cloth next time. Anything to get the goo off.

I finished the next three books in the Little House early years series by Melissa Wiley, the Charlotte years. I was disappointed that the books did not give more of the story of how Martha came to live in the United States, and how Charlotte's family moved to upper Michigan. However, in looking up the titles of the books before sitting down to type, (I have already passed the books on to my daughter), I see that there is one more book in each of the two series which I do not have. Those two books may give me more clues as to why Martha's family left Europe, and why Charlotte's family left Massachusetts. I will be looking for them on Friday at Barnes and Noble  as we attend the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School fundraiser.

I finished Jan Karon's Shepherds Abiding. I checked for the next book in the Mitford series when I was at Savers on Friday. No cigar. However, this morning as I was picking up in the girls' bedroom, I realized that I had the next volume on the shelf. Cool! Now I can take it with when I go to my Mom's today.

I am back to sewing fleece mittens and hats again. I wanted solid colors for the girls, and had seen nothing at the stores. I also wanted heavy mittens for Maja, but nothing in that category in the stores, either. I decided that I will simply have to make my own. It took an evening to dig through my patterns to find the ones I wanted. Then, after cutting out two hats, a headband and two pairs of mittens, I had to remember how my mitten pattern got put together. Then after sewing the first hat I saw that the size was too small for Maja, and I had intended that color for Ari. I am suspecting that the next size given in my book will be too large for Maja,, so it is time to get out the compass and draw a new pattern. My thought was to make two hats and two pairs or more of mittens for each girl, so that they would have some to lose. I figured that sizing would be an issue, which is no big deal, since I figured that anything not fitting them would go to Catholic Charities. While I am at it, I will cut out mittens or whatever fits out of the fleece I have left over from baby blankets. That has been sitting here for four years waiting for me to use it up.

Then one of these winter days I will have to start quilting again.

Shaklee Sales

It has been five years since I last sat at a booth to sell Shaklee. I had a table at the St. Augusta Legion Craft and Vendor Sale this past Saturday. I have to say that I feel enriched by the experience. The show was very small, with only about fourteen vendors. It was on MEA week-end, and the weather was "October's bright blue". The crowds were people dropping by in groups of threes and fours. I knew it would be a good size for me, not too intimidating, and people I might possibly know. It was great to hear those who were familiar with Shaklee tell about their favorite products. It was also interesting to compare myself with other vendors who were there. I realized that not everyone was there because they loved the products that they were selling. One complained about all of the merchandise she gets stuck with because her company updates so frequently, and she has to stay on top of the new items. Another talked about how her company was making so much money off of someone's grandma's simple recipe, because people do not know how to cook or bake. Some of the products were clearly luxury items that had no appeal to me; jewelry which I didn't need, and food mixes for fattening dips which I would do better without. I had one customer remark to me that a company she had previously done business with required her to purchase $80 in products each month, whether she needed them or not. Shaklee is so wonderful because I can get my distributor benefits off of my own purchases, and there is no pressure to sell if I do not want to. All of that for my lifetime distributor membership of $40 with a free product thrown into the mix. I overheard another vendor talking about her low start-up cost, and I thought, I did not have to purchase anything except for brochures and some catalogs. I just pulled products off of my own shelves for the show, and pulled out my collection of empty bottles which I had saved from the last show. I really use what I sell. My up-line thought it funny when I told her how many samples of the Joint and Muscle Pain Cream I gave out, and that as people took samples, I was able to tell them I had it on my neck at that very moment. The thought that really stuck with me from the sale was how important it is to take care of customers, and to keep in touch.

I felt grateful for a couple of things besides the show last week. One was for the time I was able to spend in front of Planned Parenthood with 40 Days for Life. I find it much easier to say my rosary and chaplet when walking the sidewalk than at any other time. I also find that my walking speed has rapidly increased over the past month since the vigil started. I am also grateful for the things which Ari is learning at school, the rosary, the story about Maximillian Kolbe, and her having a sixth grade painting buddy. I also had the experience of going to confession after waiting in line for three other very long confessions, and I am able to ponder the workings of God's grace which brought the others there before me, and the consoling words the priest gave to me. I am grateful for our two little granddaughters and how they laugh and play together.

Another accomplishment of the week was that I finished 18 cards of one design suited for serious illness. I was able to use up all that was left of one of my colors. I had to color the stamps with a marker for almost every impression, but I did it, and so saved some waste. I also used up some of my chalk pastels. My Stampin' Up supplies were expensive, and it is good to be able to say that I used the investment. Here is my design. Oh. I have to say that the stamp sets used on the card are actually both garage sale purchases, though they are Stampin' Up.

             

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