San Giuseppe

"St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. 
He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do,
in each and every event that went to make up his life."

~ St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By

Dear St. Joseph, we love you (albeit weakly), and we beg your prayers!  

This certainly should have been posted on St. Joseph's Solemnity (last Saturday) - I am posting it on Friday (3/25), but will post-date it so it reflects his glorious feast.  :) 

Picture source

what a week!

B and I have had quite the week!  The first half of the week was spent with a two-year-old; she is the daughter of our dear friends who traveled to Florida for a family celebration.  There were plenty of hilarious times and just a few challenging moments.  In all, we had a blast with her - albeit an exhausted blast.  I think B and I are still wiped out, two days after we dropped her with her parents!  

I'm pretty sure B is feeling the brunt of his exhaustion today - he came home from work running a fever, about 100 degrees - not necessarily the classic medical definition of a serious fever, but enough to have him considerably uncomfortable.  He's been asleep since 8:30 and will stay asleep until he wakes up tomorrow morning - I am thinking he needs a really good night's sleep and that will hopefully toss the fever out of his system.  

In all, the time we had with our little friend was exhausting, challenging, wonderful, and, in its own small way, pretty magical.  It was such a blessing to have a little girl to snuggle, to make laugh, to enjoy as a married couple for a few days.  Don't get me wrong, we were completely exhausted most of the time - I remember silently begging to myself that she would fall back asleep when she roused at quarter to six one morning - but it was still magical, and certainly a glimpse into what our family life might look like someday, should God choose to bless us with children.  It will always warm my heart to remember some of the littlest moments of our days with her.  For example, one evening she and I spent a good 25 minutes picking out B's work clothes for the next day - every bit of clothing, even down to the skivvies!  As B washed the dinner dishes, she and I would be in the bedroom, and she would take a piece of clothing, run it out to the kitchen, and say to B, "You wear this to work?" And B, saintly B, would always say "Yes, that is great!" And we would proceed to hang up or fold the clothing somewhere either in the bathroom or living room - a methodical, meticulous, hilarious process.  While fairly ordinary, it was priceless, and one of the fondest memories of our time with her.  


Especially, after our three days with the little one, I know definitively that motherhood will be the greatest challenge of my life.  There are times that realization exhilarates me, and at the same time terrifies me. I remain convinced that, should God choose to bless us with children, I will need to cling to Him in my motherhood to a new and even more intense degree.  

St. Joseph, pray for me!
Mother Mary, pray for me!  

perspective

"Does your soul not burn with the desire to make
your Father God happy when he has to judge you?"

~ St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, #746

I'm realizing more and more that I need to have this mindset
every day of my life.  

Waking up to news about our friends across the Pacific Ocean certainly
should give us a significant (and welcome) amount
of perspective on the current debate in our state. 

People of Japan, you are close to my heart in prayer this day!

sleeping beauty

My husband set out to read a section of a book we're discussing for a small group at our parish right now about fifteen minutes ago.  I proceeded to wait him out, listening to Grooveshark and reading up on the recent happenings in our fair state, to see if there have been any further developments following the vote this afternoon.  

Twenty minutes later, I turn my head to see how he's doing.......and he is fast asleep, book still open, and probably out for the night.  

The glories of marriage!  :-)

On another note, I'm going to try and convince B to head downtown to the isthmus tomorrow, just to get a glimpse of what is happening down there right now.  Hopefully I'll remember my camera and will be able to upload some photos here, for posterity's sake.  

The whole saga remains completely intriguing.  History in the making! 


a presto

civility - pretty please?

A couple of procedural moves later, and the Senate of my fair state passed the budget repair bill that has been at the forefront of state politics (and of the national media) for the better part of a month.  It happened last night around 6:30 - B and I were completely (and thankfully) oblivious, as we were out the door headed to Ash Wednesday Mass at our parish.  As of this morning, it is scheduled for a vote in the State Assembly. 

As expected, the fallout - and the vitriol - continues just 20 minutes from where B and I live.  The word this morning is that the state Department of Justice is investigating various death threats against Republican Senators who voted for the bill.  My Facebook news feed has been riddled with insults and name-calling towards our Republican lawmakers - the names are not ones I would like to repeat, not ever.  Governor Walker, who did not finish classes at Marquette University when an undergraduate, has been called an uneducated idiot more than once.  As the sister of a remarkable young woman who will probably never receive a college degree because of various circumstances, this smear is one that I tend to get riled up about. 

It is name calling and character attacks like these that make me wonder, have we - on both sides of the political spectrum - forgotten our ability to be civil?  In times like these I'm absolutely certain that we have.  It's time to grow up - on both sides of the issue - and discuss, with a reasonable degree of civility, the issues at hand.  I understand that this is a particularly hot-button issue, an extremely controversial piece of legislation that has the capacity to shape definitively the future of this state in more than one sphere - fiscally, educationally, politically, you name it.  I understand that many public servants feel especially wronged by this political process.  But enough with the character attacks, and, I implore you, stop threatening our lawmakers!  We're not going to get anywhere in this current political stalemate if we continue to act like hyperbolic and hysterical five-year-olds.   

Thus endeth the rant.... 

UPDATE: Around quarter to four this afternoon, after considerable debate, the bill passed through the Assembly with a vote of 53-42.  Shouts of "Shame!  Shame!" filled the chamber following the vote.  The Republicans were taken out of the Capitol with a security escort, and the Assembly has adjourned until next week.  Governor Walker claims he will sign the bill as soon as he is legally able - that is anybody's guess at this point.  

It looks like this is going to get even more interesting as the news spreads and people begin to organize.  I expect that the isthmus will be buzzing with people for several days to come.  

History in the making, folks.  This is really remarkable stuff, no matter what side of the issue you support.  

culinary revelations

We have had a particularly delicious week as far as our dinners go!  Between the porkchop recipe for Sunday Dinner and a navy bean and bacon chowder this evening, we've been on a roll as we try some new recipes for our "wheelhouse" - basically our term for our collection of recipes that have been successful and can continue in our dinner rotation.  

Along the way, we've had just a few revelations: 

1. Sage is wonderful.  We have used sage in just a few recipes, and this weekend we needed to add it to a cornbread that we were using as the stuffing for the porkchops Sunday Dinner recipe.  We made the cornbread late at night after dinner with my cousins, and we were both exhausted, but we couldn't help but marvel, even in the late hour, about the amazing smell as the bread cooked in the oven.  It was the sage!  It was a smell that seemed so familiar to me, but I just couldn't place it.  We went to bed that evening with the aroma of the cornbread throughout the apartment.  It was awesome!  

2.  A turnip, when cooked for an extended time in a soup recipe, tastes almost exactly like a soft, cooked potato.  The chowder for today's dinner called for a chopped turnip (found at our local cooperative), and I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant about using it - particularly about its texture and taste in the chowder.  However, after a bowl of chowder tonight, I can safely say that it tastes just like a cooked chopped potato would in a soup recipe.  Seriously, if I wanted to make this recipe again and didn't want to go to the co-op for a turnip, I would use a chopped baking potato.  It was really neat to use a vegetable I have never encountered before, and even more neat that it was a successful addition to our dinner!  

3. Turkey bacon, lower in fat and calories than pork bacon, will (hopefully) be a welcome addition to our kitchen for future meals.  I am really trying to adhere to eating well with the hope that I can consistently maintain a healthy weight.  It isn't a stretch to say that we've both put on a little bit of weight in these eighteen months of marriage!  I saw turkey bacon for sale at the store today and gave it a shot in the soup tonight - and really liked it.  B is definitely going to be a hard sell - I am sure he was slightly aghast tonight when I told him that there was turkey bacon in the chowder instead of pork.  When I asked if he liked the turkey bacon, he said, "Well, I don't want to say that I like it!"  I took that to mean that he feels he will have betrayed his longtime favorite, bacon of the pork variety, if he admits to liking the turkey bacon.  I am hoping he'll learn to love it - we still have about ten slices to use, I only needed six for the soup!  


To think that I didn't know how to cook more than pasta, Tuna Helper, and Macaroni and Cheese when we were married eighteen months ago.  My, how times have changed!  


a presto.

ten quick things! i am....

1. breaking up - temporarily - with John Adams.  I have been attempting to read John Adams, David McCullough's masterpiece about the second president of our nation, for about three or four months.  I swear they have been signing the Declaration of Independence for about six weeks now!  It didn't help matters when we watched the HBO Miniseries based on the book right after Christmas - I think that has definitely contributed to this stagnant feeling.  I know what's coming, so I am reluctant to read it, because I know the written account will be hundreds of pages longer than a few minutes of the miniseries!  Instead, I've started Decision Points, the memoir of George W. Bush.  I am about 20 pages in right now and I have the feeling it will be a much quicker read.  While John Adams is a thorough, scholarly work, perhaps the magnum opus of David McCullough, I am really indifferent to it right now.  I have a list of about 25 titles that I want to read, so I think it's just time to table John Adams and start anew.  We'll see how well that goes!  

2. TWENTY FIVE DAYS from our trip to Puerto Rico!  That in itself seems completely ridiculous - how did the wedding sneak up so fast?!  I am still waiting to hear on a potential job offer, so am still unsure about how the time-off situation will occur.  In any event, it will just be a matter of changing my reservation for a fee and coming back a few days early, if necessary.  If the weather in PR right now is any indication of how the weather will be when we're there, it's going to be nothing short of heavenly, especially after having endured a prolonged winter here in the heart of the Midwest.  We're approaching this wedding with a tentative excitement - we still have plenty of loose ends to tie up for the wedding, such as figuring out B's apparel (he and his brothers are walking their sister down the aisle, so the hope is that there could be some cohesion among them regarding their suits).  All will happen as it needs to - it's just a matter of figuring out these last few things and helping in any way we can to ensure that this is the most memorable weekend of my sister-in-law's life.  

3. LOVING our Sunday Dinners.  This is a new routine that we've only recently started.  B was quite taken with a weekend trip we made to my aunt and uncle's home last spring, during which we all sat down at the table on Sunday afternoon and ate a wonderful, home-cooked meal.  The spread was amazing - barbecued pork, chicken, vegetables, bread, the works.  B really wanted to implement this in our home, with the hope that this could continue for months, if not years, or, ideally, become a permanent staple in our household.  We've only had three so far (one in January, one in February, one in March), but each has been delicious and, ultimately, has been wonderful for B.  With his new job, he hasn't been able to cook dinner during the weeknights very often, so Sunday Dinner is a perfect time for B to try a new recipe and go to town in the kitchen.  Last night, we made bone-in porkchops with stuffing and roasted asparagus, and it was awesome!  Yesterday was also our first Sunday Dinner with company - some friends who joined us for the meal, complete with great conversation and a rocking game of Trivial Pursuit - 90's Edition.  It was a blessing - to show that hospitality to our friends and to be enriched in our conversation and our time together. 

4. SICK.  B and I had just remarked this weekend that we hadn't really fallen "down for the count" this winter as far as debilitating head colds plaguing our household.  As of this morning, that conversation is a bit null and void.  My morning started with a scratchy throat and a ever-so-slightly runny nose; I just knew it was going to rear its ugly head and morph into a nasty congested nightmare by the day's end.  My prediction was regrettably and unfortunately true, and the full-fledged congestion began about six hours ago and hasn't let up.  This is a great lesson in "offering it up" - I am a born complainer and it is easy to wallow in my own self-pity, particularly when it comes to illness.  I'm hoping to use this illness and the discomforts involved as a prayer - to lift up my own lack of comfort for a variety of intentions to unite to His Cross.  I am sure that by later this evening, when I'm in bed and can't breathe through my nose, I'll be thinking otherwise, but my hope is to turn this discomfort into a prayer.....we'll see how it goes!

5. gearing up for our Lenten journey.  While I'm pretty sure that this year Ash Wednesday is the very latest it can possibly be, it still seemed to sneak up on B and me.  And, as always, I find myself giving very little thought to my plan for Lent until the very last minute.  We definitely have particular plans - little sacrifices we plan to implement around our household.  Now, it is just a matter of refining all of those plans into one concrete gameplan for our penitential season.  The time for refining is now - Mardi Gras is tomorrow!  

6. preparing for a two-year-old to descend upon our lives in a few short days.  Some of our very dearest friends are going to Florida for a few days next week; initially, it was thought that only one of them would be able to go, but they have since secured childcare for three of their children and both are able to travel!  (They have a very little one who will travel with them as well.)  They have asked us to watch over their youngest daughter - one of the most adorable children perhaps on the planet.  Each week since last spring, I have tried to go out to their home once a week for a few hours, just to lend a hand here and there, wherever I might be helpful.  In that time, this littlest daughter and I have formed a special friendship - our friends and I often joke that she and I are "best friends."  I'm honored, humbled, and I'll admit, a bit nervous, to have her in our home next week.  Honored and humbled to be trusted to care for their daughter, and a bit nervous about her transition into our home will go.  I have no doubt that her mom and I will do our very best to make the transition as smooth as possible - there's just a bit in me that is a bit nervous about her being away from Mom for that long.  In spite of my nervousness, I am really excited to spend this extended time with her!  It will certainly rock our worlds for a few days, to have a little one around - in a completely wonderful way.  Good practice for the real thing, too!  

7. exceedingly grateful for the Rosary.  Not much more to say about this - something that I once thought was a burden has become a blessing, even on days when it seems anything but that.  I remain convinced that our Mother Mary, despite our human frailties and weaknesses, is keeping us close to her heart in prayer.  For that, I am abundantly thankful.  

8. using a turnip in tomorrow's dinner.  I am making a crockpot chowder tomorrow that requires this root vegetable.  I am hoping to find one at our neighborhood grocery store and if not, I know the local cooperative will have one for sale, too.  I am more than curious to see how the turnip is first prepared for the dish and then, how it tastes in the soup!  I also need to soak a cup and a half of navy beans - something that I need to stop and do right now!  

9. ready for Spring.  Following morning Mass and breakfast, Saturday quickly morphed into Spring Cleaning day at our apartment.  We tackled all of the basics and then some - cleaned the shower, the bathroom and kitchen tile (hands-and-knees type stuff), the toilet, the bedroom, the countertops, and - thankfully - my husband tackled the fridge and our seemingly endless collection of leftovers in it.  It was a disgusting, albeit necessary, process, and I am still grateful that my husband tackled that nasty chore in my stead.  It was a glorious day - some of our favorite movies on as background noise, heavy cleaning going on around our living space, and, perhaps the best part, an open window to air the place out.  It was a great way to spend the day!  

10. going to soak the navy beans and then going to bed!  As my cold crept up on me this afternoon I found myself asleep for about an hour and I am paying for it now, as it's almost midnight and I am still awake.  Time to soak the beans for tomorrow and attempt to rest - these cold germs aren't going to be squashed unless I get some shuteye!


to those few souls who might check in here every once in awhile, whether for the first, second, umpteenth, or last time......welcome.  it's good to have you here.  :)


a presto. 

and my hopes to see the Supreme Court in action are dashed once again....

because the Badger Catholic lawsuit has definitively ended!

I had the unique opportunity to be involved, in a small way, in these lawsuits with my alma mater during my college career.  It was a special, albeit somewhat crazy, glimpse into the constitutional law process and one that I would not trade.  I am grateful that the law has prevailed and that our First Amendment rights have been upheld, although I would be lying if I didn't say I am somewhat disappointed to not have an opportunity to travel to DC to see the Supreme Court in oral argument!  

When we discussed this tonight, B and I decided to travel there soon regardless, to watch an argument and to see the Justices in action (probably in the fall).  Hopefully we follow through on our plans!  

a presto