| A reflection on the dignity of work | |
| "Work is not just another object, but rather the expression and condition
of spiritual and social development of man. When we forget about this primary
relationship of work with man's dignity, it loses its cultural richness and
moral value." — Archbishop Jose Maria Arancedo | |
Monday, September 3, 2012
A Thought on Labor Day . . .
The Wisdom of Mark Twain . . .
Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you
have ceased to live.
Sweet Tomato Cake revisited!
Last week, I posted a link for a recipe for Sweet Tomato Cake which I found to be very interesting. Since we have had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year, I am always on the lookout for new recipes. Yesterday, I actually make the cake! I made a few changes to the recipe and doubled it so I could share it with a neighbor . . . if it turned out . . . and it did!
The recipe called for all whole wheat flour and I went half and half with all-purpose flour. I also added some lemon zest, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract to the batter. The cake isn't very tall but tender and tasty. The tomatoes add an interesting tang. It doesn't taste of tomatoes but give the cake a nice moistness. It is rich with the olive oil but a small slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream goes down very well.
The recipe only took a cup of tomatoes so the rest of the day's harvest went into a long-simmered pot of sauce which graced our spaghetti last night. My children would eat spaghetti every day of the week if I could stand it so they thought dinner was a great ending to a Sunday.
The recipe called for all whole wheat flour and I went half and half with all-purpose flour. I also added some lemon zest, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract to the batter. The cake isn't very tall but tender and tasty. The tomatoes add an interesting tang. It doesn't taste of tomatoes but give the cake a nice moistness. It is rich with the olive oil but a small slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream goes down very well.
The recipe only took a cup of tomatoes so the rest of the day's harvest went into a long-simmered pot of sauce which graced our spaghetti last night. My children would eat spaghetti every day of the week if I could stand it so they thought dinner was a great ending to a Sunday.
Empty Chair Day!
Even though the liberal media would have us believe the incumbent president is sure to get another term, it does seem that 'change' is in the air and he may have an uphill battle to keep the presidency! For those of you who listened to the Republican Convention speeches, Clint Eastwood did a great job in pointing out to the country through his stage prop of an empty chair that, indeed, our country has been without true, American leadership for the last four years. One person made a joke somewhere along the line about having an Empty Chair Day today and it seems to have taken off. What a peaceful yet effective way to point out that the country is on the wrong track and we have to find someone to occupy that 'chair' and reign in our current 'reign' of governmental interference and let us live as our Founding Fathers began this country to allow us to do.
I have to see if I can find a chair and a flag and join the cause!
I have to see if I can find a chair and a flag and join the cause!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Modesty Issue . . .
Although young ladies (and some older ones, too!) should have enough respect for themselves to dress modestly, they might consider that even if they feel comfortable in revealing clothing, shouldn't they respect the people who might be viewing their display of bare skin? Most people don't dress to become near occasions of sins but if they stopped to really look at themselves in the mirror, would they truly go out in public with scanty attire? What is even sadder are the women who don't really have the figure for tight, revealing outfits yet follow the trend and look more frumpy than alluring.
My mother taught me to wear underwear and the fact that underwear should not be showing. Who started the 'fashion' where spaghetti straps not covering the bra straps was okay?
A priest told me once that if women truly understood what kind of message bare shoulders, legs, and worse send out to the male population, they would be shocked. What many women feel is their right to 'be free' is telling men that they might be too free!
Mothers have the responsibility to educate their daughters yet many of the mothers almost dress more scantily that their children. Some outfits belong in specific venues. You wouldn't wear a wedding dress to the mall so why is something akin to a swimsuit okay to wear in public? If you were going to a formal affair, would you wear the shorts and tee shirts?
When a woman chastises a male for 'looking', it is she that should be rebuked for sending out the mixed message and turning herself into a near occasion of sin.
You would think that dads, too, would be extra vigilant about how their daughters dress but this doesn't seem to be the case. They, of all people, should recall their own youth and what they thought of girls who dressed to distract.
Our pastor gave a sermon wherein he said we should, besides being modestly dressed, always come to Church dressed to be in the presence of Jesus. And, since God is everywhere, shouldn't that apply to wherever we go and whatever we do?
My mother taught me to wear underwear and the fact that underwear should not be showing. Who started the 'fashion' where spaghetti straps not covering the bra straps was okay?
A priest told me once that if women truly understood what kind of message bare shoulders, legs, and worse send out to the male population, they would be shocked. What many women feel is their right to 'be free' is telling men that they might be too free!
Mothers have the responsibility to educate their daughters yet many of the mothers almost dress more scantily that their children. Some outfits belong in specific venues. You wouldn't wear a wedding dress to the mall so why is something akin to a swimsuit okay to wear in public? If you were going to a formal affair, would you wear the shorts and tee shirts?
When a woman chastises a male for 'looking', it is she that should be rebuked for sending out the mixed message and turning herself into a near occasion of sin.
You would think that dads, too, would be extra vigilant about how their daughters dress but this doesn't seem to be the case. They, of all people, should recall their own youth and what they thought of girls who dressed to distract.
Our pastor gave a sermon wherein he said we should, besides being modestly dressed, always come to Church dressed to be in the presence of Jesus. And, since God is everywhere, shouldn't that apply to wherever we go and whatever we do?
Stopping to Smell the Roses . . . ?
The
miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one
had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in
the world.
- Unknown
Sort of Thanksgiving in September . . .
I try and keep close tabs on the contents of our freezer for purposes of maintaining the budget and still providing adequate meals for the family. You can imagine my distress when I went out into the garage to greet my husband when he returned from work and found the last person who had been in the freezer had neglected to shut it properly. Just what my husband wanted to help with after a long day at work . . . sorting through the rapidly defrosting freezer to determine what could be saved! In case anyone is curious - it wasn't me or my husband who forgot to close the freezer! :-)
Anyway, one of the 'victims' of the freezer fiasco was a small turkey I had gotten on sale. It wasn't much bigger than a stewing chicken. Because it has partially thawed, I didn't want to refreeze it so we had turkey in anticipating of the real feast come November!
Although it wasn't up to the holiday standards, I did have stuffing, cranberries, yams, and mashed potatoes. My husband teasingly complained about dessert being homemade peach pie as that 'certainly wasn't Thanksgiving fare'.
As always, things could have been worse. Yes, we lost some food in the disaster but we had an enjoyable outcome finding the turkey and enjoying a minor version of a holiday meal before the actual event. Now, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving and having our friends over and enjoying the meal together.
Anyway, one of the 'victims' of the freezer fiasco was a small turkey I had gotten on sale. It wasn't much bigger than a stewing chicken. Because it has partially thawed, I didn't want to refreeze it so we had turkey in anticipating of the real feast come November!
Although it wasn't up to the holiday standards, I did have stuffing, cranberries, yams, and mashed potatoes. My husband teasingly complained about dessert being homemade peach pie as that 'certainly wasn't Thanksgiving fare'.
As always, things could have been worse. Yes, we lost some food in the disaster but we had an enjoyable outcome finding the turkey and enjoying a minor version of a holiday meal before the actual event. Now, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving and having our friends over and enjoying the meal together.
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