My Plans for the Day . . .

Since it is Holy Thursday and there wasn't a scheduled morning Mass, I planned out my day carefully to take advantage of the extra time.

1. Catch up on my Blog and e-mail - accomplished.
2. Go shopping for the week and Easter Sunday - accomplished.
3. Eat lunch - almost accomplished.
4. Do the laundry - the reason lunch was only 'almost accomplished'.
5. Iron my husband's work shirts - never happened.
6. Spend some time sewing - yeah, seriously.

Things were going along smoothly. I had gotten to number three on the list and was happily eating my lunch and had just gotten to my treat of the day - a fresh mango. I dislike peeling mangos so most of the treat was the fact that I had taken the time to peel said mango. Just as I was about to take a bite, I heard what sounded like a fountain . . . coming from the kitchen. Curious, I set down my untouched mango and peeked around the corner.

It was a fountain! A fountain of water pouring over the rim of both sinks in the kitchen. Half of the kitchen floor was under two inches of water. The sounds of fountains was coming from the garage and the washer was also sending cascades of water hither and yon. I did what any self-respecting housewife would do . . . I screamed for my son to turn off the main valve to the water.

I recognized the problem from a similar one two years ago. A plunger wouldn't work and I had to call a plumber. Fortunately, I had kept the receipt from the last visit and immediately called the man who said he would be over in a couple of hours. In the meantime, we pulled everything out of the dampened pots and pan cupboard and mopped up the floor, and stared at the sinks full of murky water. We also sent a few prayers out to any saintly patrons of households in minor crisis.

The plumber arrived prompty, cleared the pipes of a clog that was on the opposite side of the house, charged a minimal fee for the hour of work, and was gone in the glow of our gratitude.

With the help of my son, we got things in order and scrubbed down and dried out. Dinner is simmering on the stove and cheese rolls just exited the oven. Glad I had planned on soup for dinner as it really wasn't the kind of day where I could have put a fancy meal on my to-list without going into hysterical laughter.

My husband called and said he was coming home early to help. I thanked him but said we had had to clean the kitchen sooner than that in order to have dinner on the table. He said, "Oh, I meant I would help clean up the garage." I hated to tell him that aside from the washer and drier, I wasn't much concerned with his garage at this point in time.

October Baby - the movie!

If you are against abortion and want to see a movie that reveals what can and is lost every time an innocent life is endangered, check out the link for a new movie:

http://ricochet.com/main-feed/October-Baby-Success-Concerns-Pro-Choice-Activists

October Baby has quietly gone up the charts since it opened. The basic premise is an abortion survivor's search for her birth mother. The abortion survivor is the baby that did not die during the abortion attemp on her life! I haven't seen it yet but rave reviews abound. It is nice to have a movie out there that confirms one's feelings on the subject and, perhaps, might move a few hearts in the future.

When the Illinois Senate voted on doctors being required to save a baby that survives an abortion, there was one infamous NAY called out on that vote - our current president and then - Senator. Something else to remember in 2012. It is amazing to think that each of our votes could save our future people . . . that haven't been born yet and deserve the chance to be born.

Easter Bunny Bait - Carrot-Pineapple-Nut Cupcakes

Sharing this recipe reminded me to put carrots on my own shopping list for today! Even if you don't catch the Easter Bunny hiding eggs, you still have a batch of cupcakes waiting to be joined with a cup of coffee.


Carrot-Pineapple-Nut Cupcakes
2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
1 box ‘pudding in the mix’ cake mix
1 cup mayonnaise
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly-grated orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Like your muffin tin with cupcake papers.

Beat the eggs until frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. You can do this by hand or on a low speed with the mixer using the paddle attachment not the whisk.

Fill the prepared pan(s) with batter, filling 2/3rds full to allow for raising. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Lemon/Orange Glaze
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon each freshly-grated lemon and orange zest
Enough fresh lemon juice to form a glaze.

Prelude to Good Friday . . .

O God, Whom to love above all is righteousness, multiply in us the gifts of Thine ineffable grace; and since in the death of Thy Son Thou has given us the hope for those things in which we believe, grant us through His resurrection to attain the end for which we long.

Roman Missal, Collect for Palm Sunday. (Gelasian, 5th to 7th centurey)

Our daily world as mothers . . .

"I long to accomplish a great and noble
task, but it is my chief duty to
accomplish small tasks as if
they were great and noble." - Helen Keller

Voting morally?

One of the main concerns in the world today, are the children who are growing up without values, little needful education, and a warped sense of what is right and wrong. There is a try to do unto before you are done to mentality which is wrecking havoc on our American way of life. In our pursuit of happiness, many are conveniently forgetting Who is blessing us with our gladness in life. The powers that be on earth are certainly not in line with the Power that is in Heaven.

An older person (who should have known better!) explained to me once that politicians have to please the majority in order to keep peace in the land. And, if the majority favors agendas that might be personally against the morals of the political leader, well then he or she will have to strive to keep his or her personal feelings out of it and govern with a compromised term of office. It is very much a contradiction when you consider "There is no power but from God." yet many people translate authority to meet their desired way of life rather than using God's Commandments.

The last few months have really brought to light the definitely skewed values that are held by so many people. The mentality seems to be that you should do your job and try not to get caught if you stray in any way with your personal life. Integrity doesn't seem to have a place in many life styles and beliefs today. And anyone who is shocked at these seemingly sudden turn of events must have been sleeping the last couple of decades or so.

We now have laws in our land that sanction and even promote abortion for any reason. Euthanasia is no longer the stuff of science fiction novels. Partial birth abortions that result in total anguish and death for the unborn child is being fought over with the death squads winning. Marriage is an outmoded way of life and pro-creation is reduced from a God-given blessing to nothing more than pro-recreation thanks to the contraceptive mind set being cultivated.

The world is not a place to take at face value anymore. Simple trust is not feasible if you want to survive the spiritual holocaust that is feeding into our lives from all sides. Just perusing the morning newspaper reveals a climate that is, for the most part, incompatible with gaining the final glory of Heaven. The sad thing is that very few are being educated to care about this. And the future of the world depends on the education of the children of today.

I suppose you could read these mental wanderings of mine and find me rather pessimistic. Perhaps so, but take a moment to reflect. How many elected, political officials lack basic morality and integrity? How many laws have been passed that are in reality, incompatible with a basic, moral life? How many people overlook elementary yet essential values when voting in elections? How many Catholics are in this group?

A pause in the morning to reflect and smile . . .

"Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he'll eat for weeks!"
-- Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

"A girl phoned me the other day and said "Come on over, there's nobody home." I went over. Nobody was home."
-- Rodney Dangerfield

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
-- Douglas Adams

"Old age is not so bad when you consider the alternatives."
-- Maurice Chevalier