St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
"I will give to you the keys of the kingdom....."
"And I will put them in my mouth!"
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Catholic Book Review (sort-of): Last Child in the Woods
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
So the second installation of my book reviews is not necessarily written by a Catholic author or written to a Catholic audience, but I believe it's message is appropriate for the faithful. The book is called "Last Child in the Woods (saving our children from nature-deficit disorder) by the 2008 Audubon Medal winner Richard Louv.
The entire premise of the book is that in modern times, children spend way too much time indoors being entertained by electronics, tv, video games, and the like, and that this over-reliance on these things is stunting our childrens' imagination and ability to think creatively. This is a phenomenon that I completely agree with and hope that I would be able to encourage Abigail to spend as much time outside as possible, although I would also argue that there is an appropriate place and time for household play as well. This is illustrated by Louv when he states, "The problem with computers isn't computers--they're just tools; the problem is that overdependence of them displaces other sources of education, from arts to nature."
This is a book that I finished with some difficulty. Much of the book reads like a manuscript that just summarizes Study X or Study Y from some highly unique environment where children are given the opportunity to have free play in a large field at school, or is about a town that spends crazy money planting gardens or whatnot. It was somewhat annoying to read about all these studies and it left me wondering if Mr. Louv did not just create an elaborate meta-analysis of nature play. Part of my cynicism must be due to the amount of scientific research I read in grad school and the over-riding sense of "research never proves anything"/"there are always limitations in research".
Louv does a good job of organizing the text, however. He begins by describing the problem, offers some reasons as to why it is a problem, proposes some solutions, then illustrates what could be in store if the solutions are carried out. Then, at the very end, he lists, "100 Actions We Can Take" which are practical, everyday solutions to the problem of nature-deficit disorder.
Overall, I am glad that I read this book. Although I pretty much agreed with most of what was written, the practical application section was very interesting. I do not know if I would recommend this book to someone who is already planning on immersing their kids in nature and the outdoors, but it certainly would help convince someone who is on the fence, or fuel the fire of activists for the cause.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
You Know You're Catholic When
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Your golf balls are marked with a monogrammatic cross :)
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Your golf balls are marked with a monogrammatic cross :)
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Mise en Place
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Mise en place is a French term that cooks use to describe the preparation of ingredients prior to use in recipes. Common tasks would include cutting up vegetables, preparing sauces, or breaking down certain cuts of meat.
One of the sacrifices that Diana and I have found it necessary to make is the amount of times that we eat out per month. The amount of income that we would devote to this each month was too high and we are learning that we must change this practice.
Now that we are settled in with Abigail and she is starting to put herself to sleep after minimal fussing, Diana has found it easier to get housework accomplished. One of the greatest things that she is able to do now (and God bless her for it!) is plan meals up to 2 weeks ahead and stick to that menu through the week. We were successfully able to buy groceries and, surprisingly enough, only eat the meals we planned, for the two weeks surrounding Abigails baptism. The feeling that I get knowing that the income I provide is going towards healthy and wholesome meals is very encouraging.
The most interesting thing about this is that the amount of mise en place type activities that occur is phenomenal. Below is a sampling of the changes that we have made to accomodate more home cooked meals (saves a bunch of money too!):
-Buying stalks of celery, bags of whole carrots, and whole big tomatoes and cutting them into salad topping size
-Making homemade bread for sandwiches; homemade pizza dough; homemade breadbowls for soup
-Buying a block of mozzarella cheese and shredding it as opposed to buying preshredded cheese
-Buying bulk items such as tuna and meatballs as appropriate
-Making cookies instead of buying them
We are also making a desparate attempt to eat all of the food in our house before we make large scale grocery trips. For example, we made a large grocery trip on 5/6/09 and did not need to make another until this past Monday. I will say that these changes are made much easier with our purchase of a food processor, and the presence of a nice breadmaker and the stand mixer that we recieved as gifts. Also, Diana has been extra dilligent about clipping and using coupons to save a few extra coins here and there.
As I type, my extraordinary wife is stirring some homemade broccoli cheese soup that we are going to enjoy in the aforementioned breadbowls. I am so thankful for Diana and the work that she has done to "make the home".
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Mise en place is a French term that cooks use to describe the preparation of ingredients prior to use in recipes. Common tasks would include cutting up vegetables, preparing sauces, or breaking down certain cuts of meat.
One of the sacrifices that Diana and I have found it necessary to make is the amount of times that we eat out per month. The amount of income that we would devote to this each month was too high and we are learning that we must change this practice.
Now that we are settled in with Abigail and she is starting to put herself to sleep after minimal fussing, Diana has found it easier to get housework accomplished. One of the greatest things that she is able to do now (and God bless her for it!) is plan meals up to 2 weeks ahead and stick to that menu through the week. We were successfully able to buy groceries and, surprisingly enough, only eat the meals we planned, for the two weeks surrounding Abigails baptism. The feeling that I get knowing that the income I provide is going towards healthy and wholesome meals is very encouraging.
The most interesting thing about this is that the amount of mise en place type activities that occur is phenomenal. Below is a sampling of the changes that we have made to accomodate more home cooked meals (saves a bunch of money too!):
-Buying stalks of celery, bags of whole carrots, and whole big tomatoes and cutting them into salad topping size
-Making homemade bread for sandwiches; homemade pizza dough; homemade breadbowls for soup
-Buying a block of mozzarella cheese and shredding it as opposed to buying preshredded cheese
-Buying bulk items such as tuna and meatballs as appropriate
-Making cookies instead of buying them
We are also making a desparate attempt to eat all of the food in our house before we make large scale grocery trips. For example, we made a large grocery trip on 5/6/09 and did not need to make another until this past Monday. I will say that these changes are made much easier with our purchase of a food processor, and the presence of a nice breadmaker and the stand mixer that we recieved as gifts. Also, Diana has been extra dilligent about clipping and using coupons to save a few extra coins here and there.
As I type, my extraordinary wife is stirring some homemade broccoli cheese soup that we are going to enjoy in the aforementioned breadbowls. I am so thankful for Diana and the work that she has done to "make the home".
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Crib and Crying
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
We might be crazy.
Just yesterday, Abigail spent her first full night in her crib. She looked so tiny in it but she slept just fine with no abnormal sleep pattern.
So we decided to just dive straight into the deep end without blowing bubbles in the bucket first. Tonight she just finished about a half hour (the longest 34 minutes of our lives if you ask Diana) of wailing in two 15 minute sessions by falling asleep (we think, both of us are too scared to go in there and see) all on her own!
Hopefully tomorrow night will begin her alleged slow but steady decline in time before she goes to sleep herself!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
We might be crazy.
Just yesterday, Abigail spent her first full night in her crib. She looked so tiny in it but she slept just fine with no abnormal sleep pattern.
So we decided to just dive straight into the deep end without blowing bubbles in the bucket first. Tonight she just finished about a half hour (the longest 34 minutes of our lives if you ask Diana) of wailing in two 15 minute sessions by falling asleep (we think, both of us are too scared to go in there and see) all on her own!
Hopefully tomorrow night will begin her alleged slow but steady decline in time before she goes to sleep herself!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Abigail firsts!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Abigail has had quite the 24 hours.
On Fridays at St. Mark, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from after the 7AM mass until benediction before the 9AM mass on Saturday. We were having a lazy afternoon so I decided we should go take Abigail to visit Jesus. Diana and I were both a bit unsure how she would behave in the chapel. To our surprise, she did quite well; she even talked a bit in her "Ah-oooo's" and "Eh's" and "Gaa-O's". It was pretty neat to think that Abigail could be talking to Jesus in her own personal way! Unfortunately, though, we were only able to stay for about a half hour before she started getting fussy (we were on the back end of her 2-3 hour block of nursing).
Also last night, we are pretty sure that Abigail slept for a continuous 7 hours. She nursed at around 8:30PM and did not nurse again until 5:30PM! We are hoping that our efforts to keep her "bedtime" consistent will continue to pay off like this!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Abigail has had quite the 24 hours.
On Fridays at St. Mark, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed from after the 7AM mass until benediction before the 9AM mass on Saturday. We were having a lazy afternoon so I decided we should go take Abigail to visit Jesus. Diana and I were both a bit unsure how she would behave in the chapel. To our surprise, she did quite well; she even talked a bit in her "Ah-oooo's" and "Eh's" and "Gaa-O's". It was pretty neat to think that Abigail could be talking to Jesus in her own personal way! Unfortunately, though, we were only able to stay for about a half hour before she started getting fussy (we were on the back end of her 2-3 hour block of nursing).
Also last night, we are pretty sure that Abigail slept for a continuous 7 hours. She nursed at around 8:30PM and did not nurse again until 5:30PM! We are hoping that our efforts to keep her "bedtime" consistent will continue to pay off like this!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Man Chores #3: Vegetable Planter Box
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Sometimes I surprise even myself.
For the past few years Diana has maintained some simple vegetable plants on her back porch. I believe she started out with just tomatoes, then added bell peppers last year. These plants have been very successful with the intense morning sun that they get on our back porch.
This year, Diana and I brainstormed a better way to plant these veggies, as the pots just did not seem big enough and not the most effective way to grow these plants. Our solution was a planter box that would be deep and wide enough to plant several plants and fit on our back porch as well.
Following a gracious gift of plywood and lumber from my Dad, I put the following together:
The materials
The walls and supports are cut
The frame put together
All settled in on the back porch!
Sometimes I surprise even myself.
For the past few years Diana has maintained some simple vegetable plants on her back porch. I believe she started out with just tomatoes, then added bell peppers last year. These plants have been very successful with the intense morning sun that they get on our back porch.
This year, Diana and I brainstormed a better way to plant these veggies, as the pots just did not seem big enough and not the most effective way to grow these plants. Our solution was a planter box that would be deep and wide enough to plant several plants and fit on our back porch as well.
Following a gracious gift of plywood and lumber from my Dad, I put the following together:
The materials
The walls and supports are cut
The frame put together
All settled in on the back porch!I used only my battery powered circular saw, drill, and some decking screws. The dimensions of the box are 60"x14"x16" which we plan on filling with dirt and planting 3 cherry tomato plants and two red bell pepper plants. Also, we have a mint plant, 2 zucchini plants, and several flowers that are going to be put into pots to finish the ensemble. Diana is presently working on planting everything.
It was kind of a cool moment in the street when I was putting everything together and it actually felt sturdy! If I had to do it over again, I would have cut the plywood in more daylight. As it were, I had to cut it later in the evening and my lines were not as dark as I would have liked and the longer cuts got a bit crooked, but overall everything fit together pretty well.
Hopefully this is the first of many things I will be able to build for the family. I already have plans on building a set of wooden blocks for Abigail to play with, and hopefully, a playground set for our future backyard!
I will update when everything is planted.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
It was kind of a cool moment in the street when I was putting everything together and it actually felt sturdy! If I had to do it over again, I would have cut the plywood in more daylight. As it were, I had to cut it later in the evening and my lines were not as dark as I would have liked and the longer cuts got a bit crooked, but overall everything fit together pretty well.
Hopefully this is the first of many things I will be able to build for the family. I already have plans on building a set of wooden blocks for Abigail to play with, and hopefully, a playground set for our future backyard!
I will update when everything is planted.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
On vocations
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Everyone always says that kids change your life. Guess what?
They were right.
I can honestly say that I am a different person than I was 4 weeks ago. Sure I look the same, and certain characteristics are the same, but Abigail has changed my approach to life, vocations, and family.
I realized very soon after her birth that my vocation, the role in life that God has chosen for me, my route to heaven, is that of a husband and a father. Period. Many people would argue that my job also could be considered my vocation, but I see it differently. My job is merely a way to provide for my family at home. There was a very intense feeling of guilt that came with my return to work, especially the days where I would have to be gone for most of the day, leaving Diana and Abigail at home alone. It was days like those where I was thankful that Diana understands her vocation as a wife and mother.
I think much trouble comes from a skewed view of family. Many call it archaic and oppressive, but when I think about all of the families that I know that have qualities that I hope to emulate (faithful, respectful, modest, etc.) many, if not all of them have a husband that works full time and a wife that stays at home and cares for the children and home. I find it in a way beautiful that God provides for us like that.
One night when we were in the hospital, I went to the nursery with Abigail to have blood drawn for her PKU and bilirubin. While I was waiting for the nurse to be done, another baby was being bathed and a nurse (1) came in and asked the nurse (2) bathing that baby if the grandmother could see the baby. Nurse 2 said that nurse 1 would have to ask the parents if it was OK (to me indicating some family conflict that the parents would not want grandma to see baby). Nurse 1 came back a short while later and said that the father said she could see but not touch. Nurse 2 proceeded to open the blinds on the nursery door and hold the baby up to the window so grandma could take pictures with her camera phone. I was so overcome with such sorrow and sadness that there are family situations that necessitate restrictions such as this that I began to weep (ironically enough, the first time I cried in the hospital was not because of my baby!).
I began then to think about all of the single mothers who are tasked with raising children alone, or the families that have abusive husbands, or any other of the domestic situations that kids face. A couple weeks prior, Diana and I had been recieveing many pieces of mail from different groups of priests asking for donations for their particular ministries. We disregarded many of these because we did not feel a particular connection to the group or ministry. I know now, that I would like our family to be involved with a group that ministers to or is involved with improving family life and helping families that are less fortunate raise their children in a Catholic home. If you know of any such groups, please let me know!
Further reflection on my vocation as a husband and father found me reflecting on how I might better live out this vocation. One of the blog communities I frequent is Catholic Dads, a blog for, well, Catholic Dads. Their tagline is, "because we need all the help we can get". While it is funny, I believe it is all too true that true Catholic fatherhood is not very popular in today's society. The man is supposed to be in charge and all that jazz. What this notion fails to recognize is the extreme humility that comes with Catholic fatherhood. Many people look at the following passage and draw from it the oppressive nature of marriage:
Another nice little resource that Catholic Dads introduced me to is the 10 commandments of a Husband and Father.
One of the interesting things that I drew from reading that is that a husbands love must be directed as follows: God, wife, children. I find myself often not paying attention to how Diana is doing for the sake of Abigail. I also fall into the trap of not spending any time in personal prayer or prayer with Diana and I because I/we are too busy with the Abigail. I must remember that my love must be directed to God first, then Diana, then my children.
So how do I do that? Well first I must remember that God does not require big, drastic changes right away (in most cases). Secondly, I need to remember that how Diana and I express our faith and pass it to Abigail must be OUR decision. I can not just decide that we are going to start doing a bunch of things without her input. Thirdly, after reading Stephen Wood's Legacy, he made a very interesting point that the home does not need to be a monastery where every waking moment is steeped in prayer and contemplation. Rather, my children are most likely to recieve the faith from Diana and I by the example that I set. Therefore, I want to make sure that Abigail sees us say grace before meals and sees mommy and daddy praying together and spends time at church and getting to know the aforementioned families that emulate the qualities I wish our family to have. I must stay focused on God and on His will for my family.
I pray that God continue to bless our family as He has so far and that He continues to mold our hearts and wills to His.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
ps. my apologies if this post does not sound very well organized, I had a lot on my mind!
Everyone always says that kids change your life. Guess what?
They were right.
I can honestly say that I am a different person than I was 4 weeks ago. Sure I look the same, and certain characteristics are the same, but Abigail has changed my approach to life, vocations, and family.
I realized very soon after her birth that my vocation, the role in life that God has chosen for me, my route to heaven, is that of a husband and a father. Period. Many people would argue that my job also could be considered my vocation, but I see it differently. My job is merely a way to provide for my family at home. There was a very intense feeling of guilt that came with my return to work, especially the days where I would have to be gone for most of the day, leaving Diana and Abigail at home alone. It was days like those where I was thankful that Diana understands her vocation as a wife and mother.
I think much trouble comes from a skewed view of family. Many call it archaic and oppressive, but when I think about all of the families that I know that have qualities that I hope to emulate (faithful, respectful, modest, etc.) many, if not all of them have a husband that works full time and a wife that stays at home and cares for the children and home. I find it in a way beautiful that God provides for us like that.
One night when we were in the hospital, I went to the nursery with Abigail to have blood drawn for her PKU and bilirubin. While I was waiting for the nurse to be done, another baby was being bathed and a nurse (1) came in and asked the nurse (2) bathing that baby if the grandmother could see the baby. Nurse 2 said that nurse 1 would have to ask the parents if it was OK (to me indicating some family conflict that the parents would not want grandma to see baby). Nurse 1 came back a short while later and said that the father said she could see but not touch. Nurse 2 proceeded to open the blinds on the nursery door and hold the baby up to the window so grandma could take pictures with her camera phone. I was so overcome with such sorrow and sadness that there are family situations that necessitate restrictions such as this that I began to weep (ironically enough, the first time I cried in the hospital was not because of my baby!).
I began then to think about all of the single mothers who are tasked with raising children alone, or the families that have abusive husbands, or any other of the domestic situations that kids face. A couple weeks prior, Diana and I had been recieveing many pieces of mail from different groups of priests asking for donations for their particular ministries. We disregarded many of these because we did not feel a particular connection to the group or ministry. I know now, that I would like our family to be involved with a group that ministers to or is involved with improving family life and helping families that are less fortunate raise their children in a Catholic home. If you know of any such groups, please let me know!
Further reflection on my vocation as a husband and father found me reflecting on how I might better live out this vocation. One of the blog communities I frequent is Catholic Dads, a blog for, well, Catholic Dads. Their tagline is, "because we need all the help we can get". While it is funny, I believe it is all too true that true Catholic fatherhood is not very popular in today's society. The man is supposed to be in charge and all that jazz. What this notion fails to recognize is the extreme humility that comes with Catholic fatherhood. Many people look at the following passage and draw from it the oppressive nature of marriage:
- Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:22-25)
Another nice little resource that Catholic Dads introduced me to is the 10 commandments of a Husband and Father.
One of the interesting things that I drew from reading that is that a husbands love must be directed as follows: God, wife, children. I find myself often not paying attention to how Diana is doing for the sake of Abigail. I also fall into the trap of not spending any time in personal prayer or prayer with Diana and I because I/we are too busy with the Abigail. I must remember that my love must be directed to God first, then Diana, then my children.
So how do I do that? Well first I must remember that God does not require big, drastic changes right away (in most cases). Secondly, I need to remember that how Diana and I express our faith and pass it to Abigail must be OUR decision. I can not just decide that we are going to start doing a bunch of things without her input. Thirdly, after reading Stephen Wood's Legacy, he made a very interesting point that the home does not need to be a monastery where every waking moment is steeped in prayer and contemplation. Rather, my children are most likely to recieve the faith from Diana and I by the example that I set. Therefore, I want to make sure that Abigail sees us say grace before meals and sees mommy and daddy praying together and spends time at church and getting to know the aforementioned families that emulate the qualities I wish our family to have. I must stay focused on God and on His will for my family.
I pray that God continue to bless our family as He has so far and that He continues to mold our hearts and wills to His.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
ps. my apologies if this post does not sound very well organized, I had a lot on my mind!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
O God, O God....the rest
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
God is good, all the time. Our precious daughter slept the entire time during Mass today, including through the reading of the Passion! Diana did such an amazing job holding her throughout; praise God!
Fr. Pat offered a neat reflection of the Psalm today, "O God, O God, why have you abandoned me?" (Ps 22:2) He mentioned that this cry from King David is only the first part of his plea, and would seem to show some anger and doubt that the Lord will deliver him. What we often times miss, is the rest of the plea, "Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the glory of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you rescued them. To you they cried out and they escaped; in you they trusted and were not disappointed." (Ps 22:4-7)
How often do we forget to remember that God not only brings us to trouble and times of doubt and frustration, but also is the One who delivers us from these same?
May we trust in you, O God, to deliver us from evil, especially when we, as parents, become frustrated our day to day struggles with raising your future saints!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
God is good, all the time. Our precious daughter slept the entire time during Mass today, including through the reading of the Passion! Diana did such an amazing job holding her throughout; praise God!
Fr. Pat offered a neat reflection of the Psalm today, "O God, O God, why have you abandoned me?" (Ps 22:2) He mentioned that this cry from King David is only the first part of his plea, and would seem to show some anger and doubt that the Lord will deliver him. What we often times miss, is the rest of the plea, "Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the glory of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you rescued them. To you they cried out and they escaped; in you they trusted and were not disappointed." (Ps 22:4-7)
How often do we forget to remember that God not only brings us to trouble and times of doubt and frustration, but also is the One who delivers us from these same?
May we trust in you, O God, to deliver us from evil, especially when we, as parents, become frustrated our day to day struggles with raising your future saints!
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Man Chores #2.5: Pesky Bird Nest Removal
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
It seems my attempts have been foiled......
I guess I'll have to figure something else out.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
It seems my attempts have been foiled......
I guess I'll have to figure something else out.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Man Chores #2: Pesky Bird Nest Removal
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
On our humble back porch, there is a little spot between the top of the main support beam in the corner and the underside of the "ceiling" that provides an ample platform for the little birdies that fly around our neighborhood to set up shop. These nests become a nuisance, as they stain the siding and just generally make a mess on the porch. As such, I have been summoned several times to rid the perch of these nests.
Finally, we decided that something needed to be done to prevent the birds from nesting on our porch. I tossed around the idea of just wedging something up in the space to prevent them from getting into the beloved corner but then I figured they could just nest beside the block. My dad then suggested to create some spike strips to glue on the edges.
About an hour later here is the final result:
It's been three days and no nests.
Mission: Accomplished
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
On our humble back porch, there is a little spot between the top of the main support beam in the corner and the underside of the "ceiling" that provides an ample platform for the little birdies that fly around our neighborhood to set up shop. These nests become a nuisance, as they stain the siding and just generally make a mess on the porch. As such, I have been summoned several times to rid the perch of these nests.
Finally, we decided that something needed to be done to prevent the birds from nesting on our porch. I tossed around the idea of just wedging something up in the space to prevent them from getting into the beloved corner but then I figured they could just nest beside the block. My dad then suggested to create some spike strips to glue on the edges.
About an hour later here is the final result:
It's been three days and no nests.Mission: Accomplished
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Man Chores #1: Assembling Exercise Equipment
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Several days ago, our neighbor Jamie purchased an elliptical machine for herself with her tax refund. She offered to cook Diana and I dinner if I put it together for her. Not able to say no to free food for myself and a 39 week pregnant wife, I grabbed my tool bag and headed over to her place.
Several days ago, our neighbor Jamie purchased an elliptical machine for herself with her tax refund. She offered to cook Diana and I dinner if I put it together for her. Not able to say no to free food for myself and a 39 week pregnant wife, I grabbed my tool bag and headed over to her place.
The beast finally on the floor
What have I gotten myself into pt. 1
What have I gotten myself into pt. 2
Almost there...........
Jamie wouldn't let me take a picture with her actually on it
What have I gotten myself into pt. 1
What have I gotten myself into pt. 2
Almost there...........
Jamie wouldn't let me take a picture with her actually on itAll in all, it was pretty straight forward, and yes, I did read and follow the instructions. Total job time was about 2 hours.
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and mode
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and mode
Friday, February 20, 2009
Angel Food
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Several weeks back, my father-in-law mentioned to Diana and I about a group called Angel Food Ministries that sells "boxes" of pre-selected food to anyone who is interested at a steep discount. Each month, the group puts out a menu that includes a "regular box" with enough food to feed a family of 4 for one week. This box is $30. On top of that, each month there are several "special boxes" that may include steaks, chicken, any specialty foods such as pre-prepared side dishes, and a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. You must purchase a regular box in order to order any of the specialty boxes. The contents of these boxes are then shipped to local churches where you pick them up on designated dates.
After looking at the menus for the past couple months and considering how we would best be able to utilize all of the food that comes in the boxes, Diana and I sent in our order form for the February menu. We got one regular box and one fresh fruit and veggie box. Shown below are the blessings we recieved for only $51!
Regular box contents: 1 pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts, thick cut porkchops, 4 sirloin steaks, frozen breaded chicken tenders, bacon, carrots, rice, eggs, stir fry veggies, french fries, frosted flakes, 2%milk, salisbury steak frozen dinner entree, 2 small pecan pies.
Fresh fruit and veggie box contents: carrots, 2 pears, apples, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, raisins, cabbage, oranges, and a pineapple.
We really do feel very blessed that such an opportunity has presented itself to be thrifty with the way we purchase groceries, especially in such uncertain financial times, and hope that the Lord continues to bless those involved with this ministry
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Several weeks back, my father-in-law mentioned to Diana and I about a group called Angel Food Ministries that sells "boxes" of pre-selected food to anyone who is interested at a steep discount. Each month, the group puts out a menu that includes a "regular box" with enough food to feed a family of 4 for one week. This box is $30. On top of that, each month there are several "special boxes" that may include steaks, chicken, any specialty foods such as pre-prepared side dishes, and a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. You must purchase a regular box in order to order any of the specialty boxes. The contents of these boxes are then shipped to local churches where you pick them up on designated dates.
After looking at the menus for the past couple months and considering how we would best be able to utilize all of the food that comes in the boxes, Diana and I sent in our order form for the February menu. We got one regular box and one fresh fruit and veggie box. Shown below are the blessings we recieved for only $51!
Regular box contents: 1 pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts, thick cut porkchops, 4 sirloin steaks, frozen breaded chicken tenders, bacon, carrots, rice, eggs, stir fry veggies, french fries, frosted flakes, 2%milk, salisbury steak frozen dinner entree, 2 small pecan pies.
Fresh fruit and veggie box contents: carrots, 2 pears, apples, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, raisins, cabbage, oranges, and a pineapple.We really do feel very blessed that such an opportunity has presented itself to be thrifty with the way we purchase groceries, especially in such uncertain financial times, and hope that the Lord continues to bless those involved with this ministry
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Catholic Book Review -- Triumph: The power and glory of the Catholic church.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!I have begun to work on my lengthy list of books that I have started but not finished. The first in a hopefully continual series of books that I will review is Triumph: The Power and Glory of the Catholic Church by HW Crocker III.
This book serves as a history lesson of the Catholic church in historical terms. That is, it does not necessarily delve deep into the history of Church teaching and the development of Church doctrine; but rather, it illustrates how the Church has survived from the time of its inception to the present day.
HW Crocker III does a fantastic job in my opinion of acknowledging the fact that the Church has seen some times of poor leadership and questionable decision making in its political and military sphere, but always keeps a sense that God protects His Church from doctrinial error and will always lead it through times of trouble.
This point is best illustrated by Crocker as he chronicles the Church center moving from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to Rome, then to Avignon for a brief period, then back to Rome. There have been times where the papacy was hunted and papal states attacked, but despite these worldly attacks, the Church always survives.
In reflecting on this book, I thought about the faithful citizens of the Church during such turbulent times as the Arian heresy and the rise of Protestantism. How hopeless must they have felt seeing such change and such a departure from the Truth in their neighbors. I liken it to the present day where we are feeling a similar attack from the rise of secularism, "feel good Christianity", and an overwhelming sense of trust in material possessions. Some days, the cause of the faithful must feel pretty hopeless but we must remember that God will protect His Church and He will lead His faithful to Heaven. Yes, it is hard; but, it is not unprecedented. How interesting it must be to live another 2000 years from now, God willing, and look back at today and say, "wow, God led His people through THAT?!?!"
There were several passages that struck me and caused me to dog-ear the page.
The first is a quote from Martin Luther who literally had the revelation that sparked his protest while sitting on the privy:
"Be a sinner and sin on bravely, but have stronger faith and rejoice in Christ, who is the victor of sin, death, and the world. Do not for a moment imagine that this life is the abiding place of justice: sin must be commited. To you it ought to be sufficient that you acknowledge the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, the sin cannont tear you away from him, even though you commit adultery a hundred times a day and commit as many murders."
No comment.
The second quote is a comment on Pope Leo XIII's inability to stave off the French Revolution, and holds particular relevance today when Catholic and democrat do not seem to mix:
"If the future of the Western world was democratic, he [Pope Leo XIII] wanted to set a precedent that established that Catholics could be good democrats and that such political designations should not interfere with the faith."
Next, a quote referring to Nazi Germany's rise to power. Again, particularly interesting given today's attitude on pro-life work:
"Almost immediately after signing the concordat, the Nazis fell afoul of the Catholic Church by legalizing abortion and sterilization (for non-Aryans)--surgical procedures that are now known in the Western world as constitutional rights, but to the Catholic Church were a sign of barbarism of the new regime."
How proud the pro-abort camp must feel for promoting a procedure that the Nazi's praised.
Finally, one excerpt that I found quite interesting in that I had never really considered this position before:
"It is, however, a backhanded compliment to the papacy and the Catholic Church that no one asks why the Free Church of Scotland . . . or any other of the innumerable Protestant churches did not do more to help the Jews. In such enormous world crises [Nazism], there really is only one Christian voice and one Christian institution that matters; the rest--whatever great and heroic individual efforts are made--are so fractured, politically unimportant, or compromised as to be irrelevant."
Come to think about it, no other "church" ever comes out and makes a united stand against the tragedy of abortion, or other social injustices. Very interesting point to consider.
In conclusion, this book was an excellent read: rich in information and very readable. One could read this book for facts and historical knowledge but I think the greater purpose of the book is to gather that the Church has survived for this long and through considerable strife, and that it is not going anywhere.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Superest Sunday?
I came across this link and got chills imagining the potential.
I think the link speaks for itself and I am excited by the prospect of having the ad reach such a large national audience. These people are doing great work!
I think the link speaks for itself and I am excited by the prospect of having the ad reach such a large national audience. These people are doing great work!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Live Coverage
The 2009 March for Life is being streamed live.
Very interesting to see the National Mall filled with pro-lifers after just a few days ago being filled with thousands of Obama supporters.
I actually got chills watching some of this coverage. God bless those in Washington today and God bless all the unborn!
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Very interesting to see the National Mall filled with pro-lifers after just a few days ago being filled with thousands of Obama supporters.
I actually got chills watching some of this coverage. God bless those in Washington today and God bless all the unborn!
St. Joseph patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Inauguration Eve
On this eve of the inauguration of our next president, I wanted to share some of my emotions as our country takes this next step forward.
As a Catholic, I was a bit disappointed at the election of Obama for his obvious pro-choice agenda, which I still believe he will have to put on hold considering the state our country's economy is in currently. I guess what I was more disappointed in was the support for Obama that came from many of my friends and peers who consider themselves Catholic, or Christian, or pro-life. I can certainly sympathize with those who voted Obama on the basis of his "social justice" for the poor and underpriviledged, but it seems to me that the most poor and underpriviledged in our society are the unborn.
I would like to think that I will be supportive of Obama and not try to criticize his policies too harshly. However, it is hard to believe that those who voted for him will be able to swallow their pride when/if his decisions are not the correct ones. I will be the first to admit that I was not a fan of some of the Bush administration actions but I do not see how criticizing and complaining does anything about the situation. I just hope that the rose colored glasses can come off and that we don't just ride the wave of electing our first minority president for the next four years, unable to see that there could be negative effects of his decisions.
EDIT: I found this comment on a website that I frequent and thought it sums up the way I feel (emphasis mine)
"The problem is that we've not only given Obama the keys to the car, we've also given him a blank check with that huge congressional majority. On top of that, he can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of thousands of adoring journalists and millions of worshipping fans. I'd like to see some real, critical analysis of Obama's decisions and policy, but I doubt I'll see anything like that for a while. (And while I trust the guy to make the right decision more than I would ever trust Bush -- dont necessairly agree here), there are no checks or balances in place to prevent him from going down the wrong path."
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
As a Catholic, I was a bit disappointed at the election of Obama for his obvious pro-choice agenda, which I still believe he will have to put on hold considering the state our country's economy is in currently. I guess what I was more disappointed in was the support for Obama that came from many of my friends and peers who consider themselves Catholic, or Christian, or pro-life. I can certainly sympathize with those who voted Obama on the basis of his "social justice" for the poor and underpriviledged, but it seems to me that the most poor and underpriviledged in our society are the unborn.
I would like to think that I will be supportive of Obama and not try to criticize his policies too harshly. However, it is hard to believe that those who voted for him will be able to swallow their pride when/if his decisions are not the correct ones. I will be the first to admit that I was not a fan of some of the Bush administration actions but I do not see how criticizing and complaining does anything about the situation. I just hope that the rose colored glasses can come off and that we don't just ride the wave of electing our first minority president for the next four years, unable to see that there could be negative effects of his decisions.
EDIT: I found this comment on a website that I frequent and thought it sums up the way I feel (emphasis mine)
"The problem is that we've not only given Obama the keys to the car, we've also given him a blank check with that huge congressional majority. On top of that, he can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of thousands of adoring journalists and millions of worshipping fans. I'd like to see some real, critical analysis of Obama's decisions and policy, but I doubt I'll see anything like that for a while. (And while I trust the guy to make the right decision more than I would ever trust Bush -- dont necessairly agree here), there are no checks or balances in place to prevent him from going down the wrong path."
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Honey-dew?
Diana and I have settled back into the condo and as such, there are house tasks that need to be done. You know, the man stuff that involves hammers......and sweat.....and fixing things. It seemed natural that Diana just make a list of these things so that she, hopefully, does not have to nag me to do them (the dreaded "N" word!!!). Tonight I asked her if she could every so kindly make me a honey-do list (yes I know its cliche, but hey, its effective).
At my request, she practically sprinted into our baby's room/nursery/library/craft cave/warehouse/diaper heaven, and I don't know for sure, but she might have pulled a hamstring darting over there. One thing I must divulge about my beloved is that she has a weakness for notepads. I'm not talking about having a couple laying around here or there; rather, there is a stack of them that consumes the better part of one side of the bottom shelf of her bookcase in aforementioned room. There is basically a notepad for every holiday of the year (I didn't even know they made Take Your Daughter To Work Day notepads.....come to think of it, why does she have that one?) Literally, every time we walk into a Target store, we spend several minutes perusing the $1 items right at the entry to the store; if you've ever been in Target, you know what I'm talking about. It takes a small act of God to get on with our shopping.
So anyway, she digs around for a couple minutes and emerges with this gem:
Apparently, she bought this one day before we were even married, just waiting for the day when she would get to use it. I personally think that the quotation marks should be around the words "honey do" but that's neither here nor there.
As you can see, I am already behind on my list, but hey, isn't that half the fun?
I was also informed that I am not allowed to make a honey do list for her. Go figure.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
At my request, she practically sprinted into our baby's room/nursery/library/craft cave/warehouse/diaper heaven, and I don't know for sure, but she might have pulled a hamstring darting over there. One thing I must divulge about my beloved is that she has a weakness for notepads. I'm not talking about having a couple laying around here or there; rather, there is a stack of them that consumes the better part of one side of the bottom shelf of her bookcase in aforementioned room. There is basically a notepad for every holiday of the year (I didn't even know they made Take Your Daughter To Work Day notepads.....come to think of it, why does she have that one?) Literally, every time we walk into a Target store, we spend several minutes perusing the $1 items right at the entry to the store; if you've ever been in Target, you know what I'm talking about. It takes a small act of God to get on with our shopping.
So anyway, she digs around for a couple minutes and emerges with this gem:
Apparently, she bought this one day before we were even married, just waiting for the day when she would get to use it. I personally think that the quotation marks should be around the words "honey do" but that's neither here nor there.
As you can see, I am already behind on my list, but hey, isn't that half the fun?
I was also informed that I am not allowed to make a honey do list for her. Go figure.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Small Victory
So it looks like the first bill that President Obama will sign WONT be the Freedom of Choice Act.
I would count this as a small victory for the pro-life cause. While I certainly do not expect Obama to completely forget about his desire to sign the FOCA, it is nice to see that it is not such a priority to him that he would ignore the obvious economic crisis the country is in.
The Lord works in mysterious ways and it seems as though the "recession" could be a way to focus our governments efforts on things other than killing babies.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
I would count this as a small victory for the pro-life cause. While I certainly do not expect Obama to completely forget about his desire to sign the FOCA, it is nice to see that it is not such a priority to him that he would ignore the obvious economic crisis the country is in.
The Lord works in mysterious ways and it seems as though the "recession" could be a way to focus our governments efforts on things other than killing babies.
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Ideas Worth Spreading
Just recently I have come across this website, TED.com. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Apparently there are TED conferences all around the country and the speakers at these conferences speak on a wide variety of subjects. It is worth poking around the site if you are bored, there are some really fascinating videos on the site.
I will highlight a few for you to get started:
5 dangerous things you should let your kid do
Mathemagic
Cell animation by a medical illustrator
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
I will highlight a few for you to get started:
5 dangerous things you should let your kid do
Mathemagic
Cell animation by a medical illustrator
St. Joseph, patron of families, champion of purity, and model of humility, pray for us!
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