WINE (Women in the New Evangelization)

 Arthur and I attended the Catholic United Financial Regional Gathering at Queen of Peace in Rogers last Saturday. The keynote speaker was Kelly Wahlquist, founder of WINE, Women of the New Evangelization. Kelly's talk was inspiring. AND, she was selling books. Sucker that I am, I had to buy three of them. I'm always looking for things that may appeal to my granddaughters, or things that may help me in my own spiritual life. The three which I purchased were The Mother of Jesus is Wonderfully Real by Paul Murray, OP, Gaze Upon Jesus; Experiencing Christ's Childhood through the Eyes of Women, and Walk in Her Sandals. I could hardly wait to dig into them.

I read through Fr. Paul's book almost immediately. I have to say that I was disappointed. Was it bad? No. But I  was not thrilled, either. Some of the water colors in the book were absolutely gorgeous. Particularly the first picture of Fr. Paul mailing a letter. But wait! He was living in Italy when he wrote the letter, and the mail box clearly had the USPS eagle logo and the blue mail box color. Husband had to point that out right away, too. I guess I can overlook it, but it was a detail that could have coordinated with the story better. Other wonderful pictures were of Isabelle surrounded by photographs, and a young Fr. Paul with his father, and with his teacher and classmates. The picture of the Blessed Mother on page 12 was also beautiful. The pie on page 14 looked delicious, and I liked the flamingo. But I did not care at all for the other pictures of the Blessed Mother. She just did not look beautiful. Her smiles on page 25 and on the medal, and perhaps the large nose did not become her. The text fell a little flat as well. I wish that Fr. Paul had talked more about ideas of things that we cannot see, such as truth, goodness and beauty. The book did end with another fabulous picture of Fr. Paul. Kelly Wahlquist recommended the book as a baptism or First Communion gift, but I think I would pass on it in the future. I am not even sure that the book will be liked if I pass it on.

I had been reading Marian Consecration with Aquinas (Matt Fradd and Fr. Gergory Pine, OP, Tan Books) in preparation for my covenant renewal. I finished it late last night, along with reading the Schoenstatt founding documents. I treated myself to a sneak peak into Gaze Upon Jesus. I read through all of the commendations again, and then the forward and half of the introduction. Then I skimmed through parts of the first meditation by Stephanie Landsem. Did no one else catch it? Mary is described not as a woman immaculately conceived, free from all sin, but as a woman who prefers working in her  flower beds so much that her vegetable garden is neglected. Her mother teases her that St. Joseph will starve to death because of it. Mary is unmarried in the story, again, a false narrative, since she was already betrothed to Joseph, though they were mot yet living together. In fact, the text indicates that  she has not even met Joseph yet. Mary also ponders the future children which she and Joseph may or may not have together because of his old age, contradicting the tradition that Mary and Joseph both had made the Nazarite vow, and would not be engaging in sexual intercourse. Scripture itself affirms this, since Mary expressed surprise that she was to bear a child. Had she and Joseph planned on living as husband and wife in that aspect, pregnancy would have been no surprise. She would have just assumed that this would take place after they came to live together. There would have been no need to question the angel. Then, of course, the idea that Joseph was an old man who was widowed with other children fits nicely the Protestant interpretation of passages of the Bible which refer to Jesus' brothers. But we really do not know whether he was married prior to that or not. And we do know that there is no word for cousin in Aramaic, so Jesus' "brothers" were not his brothers as we understand the term. As colorful as Stephanie Landsem''s story might be, I am thinking that if the other mediations are that inaccurate, the books may not be that helpful. Time will tell as I read through them. 

Crosstown Appliance was here for the second time in a week this morning. Last week it was the stove. A minor clog in the whatchamajigi that kept a burner from always lighting, and the flame from increasing and decreasing. The technician fixed it with a toothpick. Our toothpick, even. A cheap repair. This morning he was back to fix the coils in the dryer. Another relatively cheap repair, particularly given that our dryer is over thirty years old. This is the first time we have had to have it repaired. No matter how good the deal, I am so glad that we have never bought into offers of discounts if we replace more than one appliance at a time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why clog up the landfills with appliances which are not dead yet?

I am up to my ears in alterations and repairs. Had to sew part of the zipper in Husband's new pair of pants because the zipper kept coming off of the track. I took in the shoulders on a new dress. Now I have to do the shoulders on a blazer. I am hemming the sleeves on my new winter coat, and re-hemming the sleeves on the lining of the rain coat I got last year. I have the sewing skills (YouTube helps.). But I am short on patience. Something to offer up to the Capital of Grace.

More on Marge Fenelon

I continue with the novena included in Marge Fenelon's book, Forgiving Mother. I so appreciate her writing, and I am finding a new confidence in praying to the Blessed Mother. I pray the novena prayers in the first person plural as a means to pray for healing for myself, my daughter and my granddaughters.

I stayed up late Sunday night to finish Raymond Arroyo's Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls. I would classify this book as an adventure story in the flavor of Indiana Jones. It was a relaxing foray into the land of fiction. That does not mean it was prudent of me to stay up until all hours of the night when I had such a full day yesterday.

I had my free motion class yesterday afternoon. I sewed one of my squares with the wrong thread, and in the wrong direction for the print. That square will just have to become a fabric basket instead of going into the quilt. We missed two of our classes because of snow storms, and I had not done any free motion quilting in between. However, I felt comfortable jumping right in. I left my free motion foot and top-stitching needle in the machine so that I can continue on this afternoon or tomorrow.

Yesterday I went from quilting to a quick dinner at Culver's, to the Catholic United Financial workshop at St. Anthony's, at which our council was serving refreshments. I was the keeper of the keys, so it was late before I was able to leave. I made a quick visit to Jesus in the Adoration Chapel, getting home around 9:15 PM.

I am looking forward to the next three days of relative quiet before a busy Friday, Saturday and Monday. My little girl may come over to do some sewing while she is on spring break. If she does not, I will keep myself busy with my own sewing and cleaning. Besides the quilting, I have some birthday gifts to sew, and lots of fleece to use up. My own "cutesy, cutesy, cutesy" Siamese kitty fleece blanket fabric awaits me! I am gloating over the beautiful fleece prints which I have on hand!

A First

Arthur and I went to the St. Augusta Legion last night for their two dollar hamburgers. That was a first! Only the second time we have been at the bar in the Legion since living here. All other events we have attended have been in the banquet room. It was very crowded. A volunteer selling raffle tickets found some chairs for us, and hailed a waitress. The bar room was noisy, but also bright enough that we could actually see each other and our food. Christmas decorations gave it a nice feel. The burgers were fine. Not my Culver's cheeseburger favorite, but the buns were toasted, giving them an added touch. Arthur had fried onions with his, and we both had onion rings and a beer. Even with the purchase of raffle tickets (We lost all three times.) and a tip, we left with having only spent about 20 bucks. Not bad.

With his day off for President Bush's funeral, Arthur put together the two dressers we got for the girls for Christmas. The price was in our range, they are made of real wood, and the size is manageable for hauling and for their apartment. Not top quality, but something that will give them a sense of home and order instead of having to store their clothes in bins. We purchased them from Overstock.com.

I spent part of the afternoon attending a planning meeting for Catholic United Financial. We ate at Jule's Bistro, another first. We sat at the high table. It was not the best spot for short old people. I had to step on the chair support bar to get up, and I was afraid that I would break it. Then I had to ask the waitress to push in my chair! I had looked at the menu on-line ahead of time, and I was surprised to see that their sandwich ingredients were almost exactly the same as those at Liquid Assets. I had the Avocado Portabello Mushroom Reuben. The bread was a grainy homemade bread, which fell apart as I was eating. I cannot say that I really tasted either the mushrooms or the avocado. I also had samples of some of the desserts ordered by the others. They were okay, but as Alvina Stilling would say, nothing to write home about. I am glad I did not have to pay for them. Should I go back, I will try some of their soups.

I was able to complete more sewing last night. My new hat and mitten set are done, and a few extras to boot. The girls' insurance against the typical losses that go with childhood, and some spares to give away. I am surprised at how relaxing sewing has been.

Now off to do some cleaning!

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!

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.

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. 

Presidents Day Getaway

It has been over two weeks ago that we took our little getaway down to Stillwater. That means I have had my cold for two weeks as well, and it shows no signs of leaving. Desperately waiting for my Shaklee package of Defend and Resist and Vitalized Immunity to arrive.

We visited my mom in Mahtomedi, and then spent the night at the Water Street Inn in Stillwater. Husband had done some homework on the computer before we left, and discovered that we could have a room with a four poster bed, a hot tub and a fireplace for $89/night. We decided we would give it a try.

I was a bit uncertain when we walked into the lobby. I was expecting elegance, and there was some elegant furniture there, but what I noticed first was what looked like dark curtains hanging on all of the walls behind the desks. It turned out to be a drapery design on the wallpaper, but I did not think it at all pretty, or elegant. The design of the front desk and other work areas also did not make for an elegant lobby. No inviting fireplace or comfy chairs to say, "Come here and set a spell." It felt creepy.

Our room was on the third floor. We walked up the enclosed staircase, which looked like the original staircase of the building. The stairwell was filled with artificial plants, and crowned by a square, domed skylight which was apparently only recently uncovered, though it was original to the building. That explained why it looked dirty, and in need of repair. The halls had the smell of old wood, and as we approached our room, we smelled popcorn. I thought of my sensitivity to odors with trepidation. When we opened the door, we were surprised to find the bed in the anteroom. This is what it looked like. Very elegant. I loved the picture centered low to the bed, and the beautiful furniture. The marble tabletops and table cloth were also rich touches. The wallpaper was beautiful, although the border along the ceiling (not shown) did not fit rest of the décor.

 A short hall connected the bathroom, and then a very spacious lounge with the fireplace, a large-screen television which we did not use, a desk, sofa, coffee pot, hot tub, and patio, which opened onto the St. Croix River and the old bridge.

The wallpaper was absolutely gorgeous. The carpet not so much. Again, it did not seem to match the time period. Otherwise, we were one of only a handful of guests that night, so after dinner at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, we had a very quiet night. No doors slamming, no televisions too loud, and no voices. 

Because there were only a handful of guests the next morning, we got to choose our breakfast off of the restaurant menu instead of going through a breakfast buffet. I had the Irish Toast, a creamier version of French Toast. Arthur had eggs, hash browns, bacon and some sausage, which he enjoyed very much. The hash browns were nice and greasy, as he likes them!

The Water Street Inn is right in the heart of historic Stillwater, so we were able to walk to the shops. The downside of visiting Stillwater in the off season is that some of our favorite stores were closed. We did do a few antique shops, and a book shop. We purchased nothing, but I did see a book about the Peterkins at one shop, which made me want to sit down and read on the spot. Instead I waited until we got home, and looked it up on the internet. I was able to find a hardbound edition of The Peterkin Papers for .99 cents plush shipping, so I lucked out. That is my next read after I finish the 18th chronicle of Brother Cadfael, The Summer of the Danes.

Since then my life has been crazy busy between the girls, my February stint at the food shelf, and my work as fraternal secretary for our Catholic United Financial Council. The latter brought three activities in close succession, the fish fry, the newsletter, the holy hour for vocations, and a few member funerals. Makes me feel like I am working full time.